I am not grandiose enough to claim to change India’s political culture, says Tharoor

NEW DELHI - Reacting to a Times of India observation over his tweets on India’s political culture, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has said the leading English daily has falsely claimed that he said he wanted to change India’s political culture.

“I am not grandiose enough to claim I can change India’s political culture. Just trying to be myself and do my work,” he said in a tweet this morning.

“There, I disagree, because everybody else is doing it,” said Tharoor in an interview to CNN-IBN.

“Even the Prime Minister of Australia tweets. The Foreign Secretary of Britain David Miliband tweets and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweets. In fact, when she was in Delhi there were a dozen tweets a day about all her activities and her meetings,” he added.

Tharoor further said, “Possibly. I am not denying that. There are elements in our society who rather revel in bringing down people as well. I have been brought down, but I am not going to make any bones about it.”

“I would love to change that culture but I can’t, as an individual, start setting the pace. I don’t have the rank or the authority or the background to be doing that. I think I should have been, in that sense, a little more restrained about putting it on Twitter or indeed even saying it on TV at that point,” he added.

It was reported that Tharoor on Friday had said he wanted to change Indian political culture, which sadly doesn’t welcome discussions.

But Tharoor said he did not have the “rank, or the authority or the background” to bring change into the system.

“I would love to change that culture, but I can’t as an individual start setting the pace. I don’t have the rank or the authority or the background to be doing that. I think I should have been, in that sense, a little more restrained about putting it on Twitter, or indeed even saying it on TV at that point,” Tharoor said.

Tharoor said he has been brought down by elements in our society, who rather revel in bringing down people as well.

“I have been brought down, but I am not going to make any bones about it,” Tharoor said. (ANI)