Tharoor blames it on media

  Following the controversy over his comments on the negative impact of Gandhian and Nehruvian foreign policy approaches on India, Tharoor on Sunday clarified that the media had distorted his remarks.

Tharoor is believed to have explained his position to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

 Tharoor spoke to Singh over the phone on Sunday morning, explaining that the media had misrepresented the comments he made as chairman of a seminar at the Indian Council of World Affairs on Friday. He told the prime minister that the media reports were inaccurate and tendentious, sources said.

Mukherjee advised him to clarify his position before the media and to remove the ambiguity.

At the subsequent press conference, when asked whether he had spoken to the prime minister, Tharoor said: “Yes, I have spoken to a number of people who are disturbed about this type of press reporting.

“There are some press reports that are less tendentious. But as far as I am concerned, this is my view of the matter and I have shared this view with those I have spoken to.”
Tharoor said: “I was summarising Lord Parekh’s main points, I stated and I quote that Indian foreign policy grew from our sense of civilisation and extraordinary contribution by Mahatma Gandhi and Nehruji’s articulation of our civilisation, heritage, both enhanced India’s standing in the world but also earned us the negative reputation of running a moralistic commentary on world affairs –– that has come through very clearly in your speech.”

“If you are continuing to misreport everything I say... clearly, people are going to judge me not by what I have actually said but by what you all are reporting what I have said,” Tharoor said.

Tharoor advised the media to be more careful and and contextual in its reporting. “My remarks have been distorted... I am pained at the inaccurate reporting,” he said.
DH News Service