"This is an extended and very informal conversation with a large number of people. I have over seven lakh people who are reading what I have to say, who react to what I have to say and who also put up questions to me," Tharoor said last night.

The minister is here on a two-day visit to attend an international seminar on 'From Landlocked to Land built: North East India in BIMSTEC' at the North East Hill University.
"It's a kind of interactive Akashvani. That is the whole purpose of this kind of communication," he added.

The minister was in spotlight earlier for his "holy cow" and "cattle class" comments on Twitter on the government's austerity measures as well his questioning of immigration policy.

In an apparent reference to journalists, he said, "If anybody wants to quote it, I do not have any objection. But incidentally, if anyone wants to distort it, I regret that."
He said what he writes on Twitter is "out there for everyone to see".

Asked if he would be always available on Twitter, Tharoor quipped, "Right now there are many ways you can get me like radio and television."