Daggers Drawn :Tharoor & Media

Mr Shashi Tharoor must have rubbed the media the wrong way some time or the other. For, how else would the media get after him for some innocuous tweets? The latest one is on his statement in Riyadh, and the interpretation of the word 'Interlocutor'. As Mr Tharoor pointed out, An interlocutor is someone you speak to, nothing more. See for yourself here.

So much ado over an innocuous tweet? As if India has never made use of international interlocution? Let me put the record straight here.

• The Kargil war / skirmish, ended due to pressure from Uncle Sam.
  
• Post 26/11, international pressure forced Pakistan to take action against certain individuals and organisations on India's behest.
  
• The 26/11 dossier was submitted to the The New York Times, and was
  shared with a number of other countries, notably US, UK and Israel. Besides, copies were given to members of Security council and G-8, in order to mount diplomatic pressure on Pakistan.
  

There are many more such instances, but the above is sufficient to bring home the point. Obviously all this was done with a view to secure international pressure on our western neighbour. And how would that pressure have been possible without one or more of these countries acting as interlocutors with Pakistan?

The FBI collaborated with Indian investigators, collected evidence and took it to Pakistan. Much more than interlocution, wouldn't you say? Much closer to 'mediation' I would imagine.

So why all the fuss? Where we have ministers of the calibre of Laloo, Rabri, Mulayam............for a change we have an erudite minister who can carry himself well, can speak well, can write well, is well read, ................. and appears to be well meaning. Why can't we let him be, for God's sake?