A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh downplayed Minister of State Shashi Tharoor’s “cattle class” remarks, the Congress stuck to its stand of taking “appropriate action at an appropriate time” against him.
Their divergent reactions showed a disconnect between the party and the
government over the remarks for which Tharoor had apologised
“The party stands by whatever it has said and there is nothing more to add or subtract,” said spokesman Shakeel Ahmed.
Congress sources also said party workers want action against Tharoor’s OSD (officer on special duty) Jacob Joseph who had posted reactions ridiculing Jayanthi Natarajan as an “outdated Indian political spokesperson” for describing the minister’s remarks as “totally unacceptable.”