Indian Foreign Affair

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Storm in a Twitter cup over Tharoor comment

Pioneer News Service | New Delhi

Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has kicked up yet another controversy, this time on foreign shores as part of the Prime Minister’s delegation, with his remark that Saudi Arabia could be a “valuable interlocutor” between India and Pakistan. Later, faced with flak from the Opposition, he blamed the media for “misunderstanding” the word “interlocutor” and quickly clarified that he did not mean that Riyadh should be a mediator.



Tharoor went out of his way to clarify his remark on the social networking site Twitter. His first tweet on the controversy said, “Good day of meetings, marred in some Indian media by misunderstanding of word ‘interlocutor’. An interlocutor is someone you speak to, nothing more.”



A few minutes later, he elaborated, “If I speak to you, you are my interlocutor! I mentioned the Saudis as our interlocutors, ie the people we are here to speak to. Some misinterpretation.”



On the defensive, Tharoor went out of his way to clarify. “No chance of my saying Saudi Arabia should be a mediator. Never said that or anything like it.”



The BJP was quick to pounce on the Minister’s remarks and condemned it as “utterly irresponsible”. It said it would seek a clarification from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament.



“Tharoor’s comment is utterly irresponsible and we thoroughly condemn it,” BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad said here.

Somebody teach him ABCD of diplomacy.