Comments on: For fans of Shashi Tharoor … he says that India envies Israel for its military operation in Gaza

By: Marian Houk

Marian Houk — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:44:59 +0000

Shashi Tharoor wrote a piece asking: “Why can’t India do the same as Israel did in Gaza [Operation Cast Lead - 27 December to 18 January]?”

This is the issue.

His own excuses later included saying that he thought Operation Cast Lead would be just another short raid ….

This is the issue.

This is not partisan, it is not based on religion. It is saying that an overwhelming onslaught on a defenseless people who are under occupation yet also under a military-administered blockade and sanctions with a near-total inability to move despite being protected persons according to the Geneva Conventions is simply wrong.

Shashi Tharoor just doesn’t seem to get it.

By: Vishi

Vishi — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:23:59 +0000

An update to Marian Houk and the rest of her pro palestinian peers. Shashi Tharoor has won the election and indeed with a overwhelming majority. Why cant he? Isn’t he qualified or educated? Of course he is, in fact very.

I mean the guy did his honors in history before heading to US with a scholarship at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy for his graduate studies where he did 2 Masters and a Phd and completed his PhD before 22. Genius by all means. I really wish him to become a minister and the one that he is good at. Well obviously this whole anti Tharoor tirade, the vehement opposition of his views is highly partisan- Along religious lines. I mean one has to be blind or naive to the core if they do not understand why the Muslims all over the world supports the Palestinian cause with so much passion.

I am sure Marian is getting ready to write off my opinions as nonsensical. Well if the rationale behind the support is based on the unjust action by the Israelis, why isn’t there much of passion against all the unjust events happening all over the world-especially many of the unjust events happening in Africa???

Israel is a major defense ally of India and of course they do treat Indians with respect contrary to the other sect that is in discussion. I don’t find any reason whatsoever not to accept the support of Israel as our good ally and as an Indian. But I guess for others the common brotherhood based on religion does come to play .

By: Jay Tharappel

Jay Tharappel — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:08:37 +0000

I hate it when Shashi Tharoor speaks on behalf of 1 billion Indians.

By: The road is not so smooth for Shashi Tharoor | Nikpages

The road is not so smooth for Shashi Tharoor | Nikpages — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:47:15 +0000

[...] Tharoor, especially because of his involvement in many controversies because of his view about Israel and Coca Cola. Many others believe he is an opportunist. The are still others who campaigns for [...]

By: new indian

new indian — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:31:20 +0000

@krishna – I agree with Marian, that what Tharoor says is in total distaste. As if that is not enough, his response that he believes our response to his views would be different if the bombing had stopped in 4-5 days is additional crap. Does India support bombing unarmed – trapped – innocent people after subjecting them to years of holocust for even a day? PLS – WE DONT !!. Neither as a nation nor as individuals. He is hardly the right person to know wht we want. We rather he keeps his politically incorrect ideas to himself ; and there are dozens of egs I can list.

By: Marian Houk

Marian Houk — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:40:15 +0000

Krishna, in your eagerness to defend Shashi Tharoor, you write nonsense. There is nothing on these pages to justify your statement that, “This site is obviously where anybody who do not openly support the Palestinian cause is considered ‘bad’. Shashi Tharoor is interested only in promoting his own interests, and he doesn’t care at all who or what might get hurt by that, including the Palestinians, including the Palestinians under attack in Gaza. Tolerance would require trying to see that the Palestinians in Gaza might have a point of view, too…

By: Krishna Kumar

Krishna Kumar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:08:39 +0000

This site is obviously where anybody who do not openly support the Palestinian cause is considered ‘bad’. Since Sashi Tharoor is not one of those people who once in a while is ready to look at things from the Israeli point of view, he obviously is ‘very bad’.
I personally think, along with millions of people around the world, that Israel is totally unjustified in what it is, and has been doing against palestinians for the last so many years. But I do not believe that Shashi Tharoor is pro-Israel as you make him out to be. What he has written is very true regarding what many Indians were feeling in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. While it is true that you when you actually look deeper the situation is very different with India, it is also true that most Indians – maybe as a knee-jerk reaction – felt that there was need for an Israel like retaliation. This was being privately mentioned by so many pro-palestinian politicians also at that time. Nobody was condoning Israeli action – they were just reacting to the Mumbai attacks. It is to Indian Governments credit that they showed a lot of restraint. Among the comments above, someone even seems to suggest that it is because of ‘fear’ of ‘collateral damage’. In fact if you view this from a certain point of view, it can be construed as ‘anti Indian’. But India generally is very tolerant to all views.
If we need to solve the problems in Palestine, we should not alienate all the people who ‘happen’ to tell something that may be politically unacceptable in the palestinian point of view. There should be more tolerance and will to work with people and convince them.

By: Classmate

Classmate — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:18:13 +0000

We keralites (the first communist state who elected through election in India) think Sashi is such a hyprocat who has no idea about humaity. Its shame for oue country because the leaders like Nehru was with palestian innocent people… But This honey diplomat of media should not reach through our state…. We have a history of fight against imperialism and colonialism…

By: Fishy Tharoor « Plachimada Struggle, Counter Globalization, Shashi Tharoor Watch

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:40:44 +0000

[...] Moving on to more Tharoorism. Tharoor is widely acclaimed for his “precocious” work as a diplomat, who became one at a fairly early age and after a quick PhD at Tufts School of Diplomacy. The case for having an accomplished diplomat in parliament is obvious, especially in a context, where diplomatic skills are a premium in these days of attacks of terrorism such as the Mumbai incidents on 26th November, 2008. It is therefore apt to study what our diplomat-candidate had to offer during those days of public discourse on the response to the incidents from India. Lets have a look at what Tharoor wrote in the Haaretz in the aftermath of the incidents. Tharoor uses false equivalence, comparing the attacks on Mumbai by terrorists originating from Pakistan with rocket attacks from the Hamas based in Gaza (note Tharoor never mentions the “beleaguered” Hamas and the “blockaded Gaza). He suggests that the Indian establishment (and I suspect himself) is envious of the abilities of the Isrealis to take punitive action against its adversaries, while it is not able to do so. And in making that argument, Tharoor blissfully ignores the contours of the conflict in Palestine, the history of Israeli aggression, the torment faced by the Palestinians and the continuing illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. In effect, as journalist focusing on West Asia, Marian Houk argues in his blogpost, [...]

By: rajnair

rajnair — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:36:49 +0000

I am sure most people in Trivandrum would know very little about Mr. Tharoor as a person and people in Trivandrum should be sensible enough to realize the hidden agenda of people like him. He is fighting this election only to get a plush bungalow in Delhi and enjoy the benefits bestowed on a parliament member, so that he can enjoy the next 5 years with his Canadian wife in Delhi and pursue his personal business deals. If his intension was really to serve the people of Kerala, I think he should be working along with the local congress party workers first and then think of standing for a parliamentary election. I am sure there is no way the party workers can associate with Mr. Tharoor. There are lots of basic things which the politician needs to be looking at before even thinking of making Trivandrum into some kind of a hightech city. A city like Trivandrum has one of the worst roadways(other than the Kowdiar road, where most of the PWD money seems to be going). The availability of drinking water has become an all time low and most of our rivers are so polluted. The forests are fast disappearing that the climatic changes are beginning to take effect on our cities. The state has an all time low food cultivation thanks to fast disappearing fields and our food security is the lowest compared to the other states. We have the highest alcohol consumption and suicide rates when compared to other cities across the world. These are some of the most important issues which the politicians should be working on first. Making our cities into silicon valley is not a solution for development simply because India has 60 percent of its population living in the rural areas. The politicians need to concentrate on rural areas and make our villages self-sufficient. Developing only the cities would only lead to more safe havens for slums. It is crystal clear that people like Mr. Tharoor fight elections only to pursue their personal agenda.