New Delhi:
After he was ticked off publicly by his immediate boss for tweeting about government policy, Shashi Tharoor was silent for 24 hours on Twitter.
He resurfaced, chirpy as always, on Tuesday morning with new comments that suggested neither apology not embarrassment. "Was travelling out of range and missed brouhaha. Now that EAM Krishnaji, whom I respect, has spoken, I have nothing 2add. Will discuss visa issue w him. But thanks for all the kind words over the last 24hrs. Appreciate the support!"
Over the weekend, Tharoor, the Junior Minister for External Affairs, was critical on Twitter about the government's new policy for visas. After every 180 days, foreigners with tourist visas now have to leave India for two months. Tharoor suggested this contradicts India's reputation for hospitality and would not help fight terrorists.
SM Krishna, the External Affairs Minister, responded brusquely, saying that government policies should be discussed privately.
The need for tougher guidelines has been highlighted by the David Headley case. Headley, arrested in Chicago by the FBI in October, has been charged with helping to plan and execute the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai last year. Between 2006 and 2008, Headley made several trips to India with a five-year multiple-entry visa. This week, new information suggests he was in touch with another American citizen in Goa, who spent nine consecutive years in India.
On the December 23, Tharoor made no attempt to hide his differences with the Home Ministry on the visa issue, saying, in response to a question on Twitter: "My only role is to object to them strongly. MEA officials are discussing them with MoHA which imposed them."
Tharoor also gave India its original Twittergate. Earlier this year, in a tweet, he referred to the new diktat for ministers that requires them to fly economy instead of first-class. "Cattle-class" is how Tharoor described it. That led to public criticism and a severe reprimand from his party's president, Sonia Gandhi.
This time around, Congress leaders say they've decided not to pull up Tharoor. "An attention-seeker" is how one of them described the minister.
With over 5 lakh followers on twitter, Tharoor is the most popular Indian on the social networking site. His following among political circles seems considerably leaner.