Astute hitherto diplomat Shashi Tharoor has found himself haplessly embroiled in another murky imbroglio. ‘Cattle class’ was tongue-in-cheek. ‘Interlocutor’ was pathetically misinterpreted. ‘Visa’ tweet sparked off debate. ‘We must work on October 2nd’ was sensible. But this one seems to have inhabited an entirely different pedestal. Like an electron in the ground state obtaining energy and jumping over to an excited state, Tharoor’s controversy quotient seems to gallop alarmingly each time he enters headlines. Can’t help but reconcile that it does not augur well at all for his reputation WITHIN THE CONGRESS PARTY, more than anywhere else. Last March, when he announced his decision to foray into Indian Politics, cynics within and outside the Congress party lined their ammunition up for a stream of vicious propaganda against the man who ‘came in a suit, couldn’t speak Malayalam, was a foreigner’. Yet, Tharoor surprised many, clinching his Thiruvananthapuram seat with consummate ease. Once the coronation, word was unanimous he’d be conferred MoS for MEA. He was (I hoped Cabinet Minister). Ever since, he’s been doing a great deal of work in his portfolio. Let’s not make any suppression about that. He has been on his sprinting shoes ever since he assumed his seat, flying around the world for significant assignments nearly 4-5 days a week. He’s done many a ‘firsts’. From establishing diplomatic relations with many an African nation after eras to being the first Indian to visit Haiti post disaster, he’s been a very proactive minister. So what if he tweets about them? Is he not granted the authority to stay in touch and keep his countrymen informed of what he’s doing 24*7 as their representative? Is he not obliged, like all of us are, to have an opinion on issues around the world? Not a second of his efficient activity is reported. Silly controversies are engineered around him and it's made to seem like the chaiwallah in Amberpet or the Taxi Driver in Bandra is agitated at Tharoor for having betrayed the principles of a saadhaaran Indian politician. He was brought up in a society that encouraged conflict of views, discussions and open debate where views wouldn’t be met with ‘Who is this Shashi Tharoor to change 60-year old tenets?’ or ‘Too much tweeting will lead to quitting’. Somewhere in the hazy clouds of Tharoor’s Indian political tryst, he’s lost the synchrony of being the conventional Indian politician to earn the appraisal of the majority. And I’m glad he hasn’t made himself a conceited caricature. We talk of having revolutionary Indian politicians who could embody pragmatism. Here we have one before us. And we’re too busy admonishing him for his openness. Here are a few reasons why Tharoor isn’t at fault in the latest conundrum he’s been hurled into:
- Ø Shashi Tharoor was part of an exercise that helped bring an international cricket tournament to the state he represents and empower the region economically and culturally . What’s wrong?
- Ø Too much being alleged about Tharoor while he happens to be a ‘close accomplice’ of a 5% stakeholder in the franchise. Why not round up all politicians associated with other ‘5% stakeholders’ of all other franchises and have them whipped by the media for 'abuse of power'?
- Ø ‘Tharoor must resign’? Go take a walk.
- Ø Rendezvous Sports Group (major stakeholders in the Kochi IPL franchise) APPROACHED Tharoor and not vice-versa. Tharoor mentored the deal. Therefore, to suggest Tharoor was money-hungry and dying to fill pocket with 75 crores is preposterous.
- Ø To suggest Sunanda Pushkar is proxy (or whatever else is being insinuated) to Shashi Tharoor is unbecoming of any public figure.
- Ø Major point of contention—phone call made by Modi to Tharoor seeking details of stakeholders. Tharoor allegedly asked Modi not to press for details (sure he meant something else). What’s the big deal? Did Modi go around Preity, Shilpa and Shah Rukh and strangle them for stakeholders’ info? Nope, he waltzed with them.
- Ø What ON EARTH was Lalit Modi up to violating contentious confidentiality clauses of a contract on a platform as trivial as Twitter, knowing fully well the ramifications that might ensue?
- Ø Modi, since a week after RSG buying the Kochi franchise was grappling with himself to unearth discrepancies in logistics to push Kochi off the bandwagon. Left with no other viable options, he approved the documents (as we now know, with greater disintegrating ideas in mind).
- Ø Modi went on record to openly flay the Kochi franchise, reportedly going on to state he’d ensure it gets the worst deal next year.
- Ø Modi’s Gujarati connect is a little too real to be dismissed as a coincidence. Given the well directed castigation of the Kochi franchise in full public domain, it is evident he is prejudiced economically or otherwise against the particular franchise. A shenanigan attempt to roping in an Ahmedabad franchise cannot be ruled out.
- Ø The well directed decimation of Shashi Tharoor and very close affinity to the Bharatiya Janata Party is noteworthy. Remember the RCA elections wherein he received a pounding and cried foul against the incumbent Rajasthan CM Congressman Ashok Gehlot? Food for thought.
- Ø Modi himself has a handful of relatives owning stakes in various franchises. A BCCI executive owns the Chennai franchise. Well?
- Ø Here is a man who’s served in international diplomatic circles as a fine diplomat for years, and to accuse him of using Govt. money to buy a stake/ help wrest a business transaction by illegitimate means is inept, and motivated by reasons other than the man’s deeds or his reputation.
As I write this, Modi's getting ragged by the Income Tax department. Have things really got that pettily political? Is the Congress hitting back at Modi for what he’s done to Tharoor?
Who’s right, who’s wrong in this surreptitious shenanigan is of the least importance for the average ardent cricket fan. Officially, the limelight that very well deserves to be hogged by a few terrific young cricketers and a riveting cricket tournament has been hijacked by insatiable money-mongers longing to fill their deeply knit pockets with the sarkaari kaagaz or harness comradeship for mutual convenience and monetary crime. Either ways, we’re looking at the wrong side of the Indian Premier League.
All teams are in with a chance for a semifinal berth.
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