E-Paper
‘Unity is important’: Tharoor says Congress entitled to its opinion, backs Modi govt's anti-terror outreach
Shashi Tharoor said that his service is always available for the country and that he would never hesitate to step forward when the nation needs him.
Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said the Congress was fully entitled to its own choices after his name did not figure in the party's list of nominations for the Centre’s overseas outreach delegation on terrorism.
Reacting to his inclusion by the government despite the party's omission, Tharoor said the government clearly exercised its own judgment on who it believed was appropriate to represent India, adding that he saw his participation as a matter of national duty, not party politics.
“The party is completely entitled to its opinion. Clearly, this being a government delegation, the government had its own opinion as to who they felt was appropriate. I must say, unaware of any further contacts between the government and my party, and I think you should ask those concerned,” Thaoor told reporters on Saturday.
Shashi Tharoor says he was chosen because of his expertise
“As far as I'm concerned, I was asked both in my capacity as a chairman of a parliamentary standing committee dealing with these issues, but also because the minister very kindly talked about my personal experience over the years in international affairs and the need for that experience and such knowledge as I may possess to be put to the service of the nation at this time,” he said.
Shashi Tharoor said that his service is always available for the country and that he would never hesitate to step forward when the nation needs him, stressing that such moments call for unity beyond politics.
“Certainly, when my nation needs my services, I am available and I am available for my country. To my mind, this has nothing to do with party politics. It has all to do with what our country has been through in recent times and the need for us to present a united front,” the Lok Sabha MP said.
Tharoor recalled that a similar delegation outreach was undertaken by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the 2008 terror attacks, calling it a reflection of national unity in times of crisis.
“As I call, and I may be wrong, because I was neither in India nor Indian politics at that time, a similar set of delegations was sent by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to various regions of the world after the 2008 terror attack, so this is not unprecedented. It is essentially something which, to my mind is a good reflection of national unity at a time when unity is important,” Tharoor added.
