Wanted to change Indian political culture: Tharoor

New Delhi, Apr 3: Speaking on his 2009 Twitter controversies, minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor express anguish that he was 'brought down' when all he was trying to do was to change the culture of the Indian politics.

"I have been brought down, but I am not going to make any bones about it," Tharoor said in an interview.

He opined that he failed in his bid to bring change to the Indian political scene as the existing culture does not allow or encourage discussions.

Admitting that he could have refrained from posting some of his comments on Twitter, he added, "I only regret the visa tweet because of the nature of our political culture, which is not one, sadly, where public discussion of issues is particularly welcomed."

When asked if the controversies were born out of a communication gap between him and the Indian politicians, Tharoor answered, "Possibly. I am not denying that."

"The truth is when any thought you express can reach out to almost seven lakh people, wouldn't any politician kill for an audience like that?" he told a private TV channel.

In 2009 just shortly after he took oath, Shashi Tharoor found himself in the middle of a row over his tweets. His "holy cow" and "cattle class" comments on the government's austerity drive triggered off huge protests. This was followed by the cry over his comments on the visa and immigration policy which was being considered by the government.

OneIndia News