New Delhi:
Cattlegate, Shashi Tharoor's famous Twitter controversy, may finally have been laid to rest.
A truce has been called between Tharoor, the Minister of State for External Affairs, and his party's chief minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot. The chief minister had been one of the most vocal critics of Tharoor's Tweet in which he said he would fly "cattle class".
The tweet was seen as derogatory for millions on Indians who fly economy. Tharoor's party threatened to take action against him. Cattlegate became so big that it took the Prime Minster to defuse the situation, commenting that Tharoor meant the Tweet as a joke.
Gehlot was among those who demanded that Tharoor resign over his insensitive Tweet. But on Friday, Tharoor met Gehlot in Jaipur. Tharoor was in Rajasthan for the launch of his new book on cricket, one that he has co-authored with Shahryar Khan, a former president of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
After his meeting with Gehlot, Tharoor said, "This issue is really behind us. I met Chief Minister Gehlot and had a very, very pleasant meeting with him. We had a very cordial meeting and shared a cup of tea. I think all those who had some concerns, they have now been addressed. We have moved ahead and there really is nothing more to say on this issue. "
That's exactly what Sonia Gandhi has ordered. At a meeting with Tharoor earlier this week, she warned him to end the controversy over his Tweets, and said neither he nor the Congress should comment any more on the issue.
Tharoor has already tweeted his meeting with Gehlot, describing the Rajasthan chief minister as "a gracious political leader".