With due respect to the capability, qualifications and experiences of Shashi Tharoor, I think he has to learn how to behave. I did not really care about the first controversy about him living in a five-star hotel on government expenses ever since he became a cabinet minister. Although he said he paid for his hotel expenses on his own, I don't believe neither does it matter to me because in India, if you are a politician, you've the official right to gobble up taxpayer money.
But this time what he said astounded me. Obviously there is this brouhaha over the austerity drive in India. All this austerity in order to cut down expenditure in the wake of drought declared in parts of the country. Congress politicians are traveling economy class in trains and planes. Politics or not, whatever it may be. When asked if he would travel the same way in economy class, his response was quote unquote:
"He would travel in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows"
Cattle ? Is that what a politician, bureaucrat of his stature should call the general Indian public ? And now he tweets an apology after being snubbed by political parties.
I would just hope politicians are more sensitive to the community and its beliefs.
2 comments:
'cattle class' is not a derogatory term. Its a term used everywhere in the world not necessarily to demean people traveling in economy.His quote should be taken with a pinch of salt, after all don't we indians laugh at our miseries. India needs smart leaders like him unlike the grumpy a$$h**s.
i agree it is not derogatory and is used in idiomatic sense. but the way this sentence opinion came out is not the right way. india is still way behind america and one has to be sensitive to what people will 'definitely' interpret from such a statement.
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