To members of the Shashi Tharoor fan club — don’t even bother to bombard me with your insincere comments saying how great he is, how he is nearly a saint, and how he is one of the best people ever to have passed through the United Nations.
And don’t ever say that he was ever helpful to me — he was, at every occasion, exactly the opposite. Because it was not in his interest. For self-interest is the only principle that he operates on. But that is not the basis of my problem with him.
I don’t care that he came in with a high score in straw polls of UN Security Council members looking for a demographically suitable (Asian) candidate who also speaks French (Shashi had lots of private tutoring during his latter years at the UN) to succeed Kofi Annan, the man whose coattails Shashi rode on to his good fortune during his not-so-brilliant UN career — the UN Security Council’s taste often leaves a lot to be desired.
Now, Shashi Tharoor — who does write well, and sometimes insightfully, one can say — has written a very odd piece published in an Israeli newspaper, saying that India is envious of Israel’s free hand in Gaza.
There’s only the slightest shadow of distance in this appalling piece. Tharoor wrote that “India’s government, no surprise, joined the rest of the world in calling for an end to the military action, but its criticism of Israel was muted“.
Why? Shashi wrote that “many in India, still smarting from the horrors of the Mumbai attacks in November, have been asking: Why can’t we do the same?”
A totally unprincipled question…
The piece gets worse. If it were written as a piece of reportage, explaining why Indian politicians are so eager to exact revenge for the Mumbai attacks, it would be acceptable.
But that’s not what this Shashi Tharoor has done.
Instead, he asserts, in an ugly partisan argument, that “the Mumbai attacks confirmed what has become apparent in recent years: The forces of global Islamist terror have added Indians to their target list of reviled ‘Jews and crusaders’.”
Then, he draws parallels between India and the residents of Israeli communities living around the perimeter of the Gaza Strip: “Just as Israel has frequently been attacked by rockets fired from across its border, India has suffered repeated assaults by killers trained, equipped, financed and directed by elements based next door, in Pakistan“.
He continues; “Yet there the parallels end. Israel is a small country living in a permanent state of siege, highly security-conscious and surrounded by forces hostile to it; India is a giant country whose borders are notoriously permeable, an open society known for its lax and easygoing ways … Whereas Israel notoriously exacts grim retribution for every attack on its soil, India has endured with numbing stoicism an endless series of bomb blasts, including at least six major assaults in different locations in 2008 alone. Terrorism has taken more lives in India than in any country in the world after Iraq, and yet, unlike Israel, India has seemed unable to do anything about it … whereas Hamas operates from Gaza without international recognition, India’s tormentors function from Pakistan, a sovereign member of the United Nations. And that makes all the difference. Hamas is in no position to repay Israel’s air and ground attacks in kind, whereas an Indian attack on Pakistani territory, even one targeting terrorist bases and training camps, would invite swift retaliation from the Pakistani army. And, at the end of the day, one chilling fact would prevent India from thinking that it could use Israel’s playbook: The country that condones, if not foments, the terror attacks on India is a nuclear power … Yet, when Indians watch Israel take the fight to the enemy, killing those who launched rockets against it and dismantling many of the sites from which the rockets flew, some cannot resist wishing that they could do something similar in Pakistan. India understands, though, that the collateral damage would be too high, the price in civilian lives unacceptable, and the risks of the conflict spiraling out of control too acute to contemplate such an option. So Indians place their trust in international diplomacy and watch, with ill-disguised wistfulness, as Israel does what they could never permit themselves to do“.
The slug on this article reads: “Shashi Tharoor is an Indian novelist and commentator, and a former under-secretary-general of the United Nations. Copyright: Project Syndicate”. It can be read in full here.
One of Shashi Tharoor’s main flaws is that he never understood what is going on in the Middle East, particularly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And he saw it to his advantage, in the interest of his career advancement, to pander to one side, the one with the most power and influence … and that is a classic, though profoundly immoral, way to behave.
It is also no sign of greatness, but rather it is its opposite.
It doesn’t take any character at all to always side with those who are powerful and influential…
Not surprising for a man who was promoted three grades at once in order to destroy UN public information
At the UN, Shashi thought that pleasing Zionists was the road to success. I know that for a fact. I was there.
Yousef, I think you tried very diplomatically to save the situation when you were with him in NY — but look what he has to say now!
God forbids he runs for Indian elections in the future 🙁
May be he thinks that Ban will be “out” after 4 yrs and he is playing the pro-AIPAC or Zionists card to get back in the running again. Now that he has a Canadian wife, he thinks he can sway more votes in his favour . Typical power grabber. will say anything to get up there.
I think he does have a certain fan club in India — the question is: is India big enough for his ambitions?
Who is his Canadian wife? Is she French-speaking? Has he taken Canadian citizenship?
From one of his interviews 🙁
You are married to Canadian-born Christa Giles. Was it love at first or second sight?
Christa is somebody whom I met professionally in the United Nations a long time ago. The thing is that after the failure of my first marriage [to Tilotamma, whom he had married at age 21], you tend to be a little hesitant before launching into a second one. So, it took me some time to realise I had met the right person. I suppose, it has to be love at second sight.
We got married last year and have not yet reached our first anniversary. Christa is based in New York and is the Deputy Secretary of the UN Disarmament Commission. That is why, even though I am not a US resident, I keep going back to New York because someone very special is waiting for me there.
————
As he has been “promoted” so many times – he made sure that she got promoted also 🙁
OOOOOhhhhhhhhh – the way he talks about “the failure” of his first marriage (“sometimes you just fall out of love”), has always seemed cruel and cold.
But here, this is even worse: he says he married someone who “is based in New York” — and “That is why…I keep going back to New York because someone very special is waiting for me there”.
I won’t say any more …
Marian
For copyright reasons, that piece came from this site:
http://shevlinsebastian.blogspot.com/2008/02/kerala-is-fitfully-moving-in-right.html
Thanks – it is interesting to read that “Today, Tharoor is the chairman of the Dubai-based Afras Ventures, which is interested in investment opportunities, primarily in Kerala”….
and “Ban Ki-Moon, who won the race, was generous enough to invite me to remain as an Under Secretary-General, but I knew that the time had come to step aside gracefully and not crowd the space of the victor. I wanted to do my own thing and reinvent my own life” … and “I would rather be valued for who I am, than the position I hold”… and “When I worked as a diplomat, which often involved dealing with people, negotiations, meetings and travel, I did it as best as I could. But when I wrote, I reached into a different part of myself”
Marian, the Beaver is right that Tharoor is still dreaming about the SG post, hence the pandering to AIPAC. Poor Christa, she is a very nice lady, but has been promoted to death!
His actions / talk in India after losing the UN top job shows that Sashi Tharoor is such a HYPOCRATE !. He was bootlicking the congress chief Sonia Gandhi in anticipation of a ‘Gift” from her of ministership in the congress govt, I think he forgot (this makes me laugh!!!) his book ‘From Midnight to Millenium’ where he discribes Indira Gandhi as “autocratic,” Sanjay Gandhi as “thuggish,” Rajiv Gandhi as pilot with no sense of political wisdom and Madam Sonia as “less educated, but somehow hyped as a Cambridge scholar by Indian media.”
Ok…..then recently he has shown what he thinks of Indians and Indian culture……he goes on interupt the singing of the Indian National Anthem at a banking conference by saying that Indians dont show respect for they flag…according to him this only happens when you follow the American style of putting your hand on ur heart !!!
My only advise to him is that – Pls Sir, go back and stay permanently with your new wife in America…we have enough selfcentered politicians who believe politics is all about a cushy job for the un-employed rich and mighty – instead of what it actually is – public service. We have enough of such politions and dont need NEW entrants of the same s**t.
It is ironical that Tharoor should berate our National Anthem and Indian culture as inferior and at the same time want to enter Indian politics. It is ingrained in him…Still he would like to contest the polls on a ticket given to him by Congress.
Shashi Tharoor got the party ticket and he is contesting in Thiruvananthapuram Constituency in the South Indiain State- Kerala.
I wonder how Madam Sonia came to such a decision.
Tharoor has also come out very strong in support of the Coca-Cola company’s operations in India (one of these plants have been shut down as a result of campaigns).
It is timed well for his election run, because it is a polarizing issue in the state where he is contesting.
Stupid, Shame for Indians, He doesn’t know any thing about freedom and Israel -Palestine’s problems, How shameful, One person doesn’t know Indian culture and society, how can he serve Indian parliament . Please. please ..Let him go to hell. I don’t think even any Malayali people will vote for him………
Sashi Taroor is also defending anti Commnunity Practices of Companies like Coca cola
See Facebook Campaign No Coca-Cola Spokespersons for Indian Parliament
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=144116935382
And India Resource centers Reply to Sashi tharoor
http://www.indiaresource.org/campaigns/coke/2009/ircresponse.html
What a pity! Hamas are a democratically elected party leading the Palestinian fight for survival and minimum dignity. One just cannot equate them with LeT and other organizations formenting terror in India. Mr Tharoor writes good English but is superficial as writer and thinker!
The first question that sprang up in my mind when I heard that Mr. Tharoor is going to be standing for elections from the Trivandrum constituency was that, was it so difficult for a party like congress to find a man of the masses among its party members? Mr. Tharoor, in his election campaign, was talking about wanting to turn Trivandrum into some kind of a hightech city, which I suppose would in turn be a heaven for the rich; but what about the common people, the lower middle class and the poor, will they not be pushed and forced to survive in the peripheries of the city. I dread the day our city would be turned into the likes of Dubai city. We all know how difficult it has become for a common man to survive in that city thanks to the high cost of living. A person like Mr. Tharoor who expects us to sing our national anthem like the way americans do, would certainly want to turn this city into a snobbish city invaded by the rich NRIs. He should be talking about human welfare schemes, infrastructure development, environment and nature conservation, which is the need of the hour for a city like Trivandrum.
Sashi Taroor now competes at Trivandrum for the Indian Parliement.
How little has he become. Wandering through the Gallies and Mosques of poor Muslims begging for their Votes. Telling them that he is their Messiah.
Poor Sashi he competes in the Ticket of Indian National Congress after calling Gandhi, Nehru, Misses Indira Gandhi, Rajeev Gandhi and Sonia, bad words. How little have he become.
He dishonours the Indian National Anthem and Indian Flag and now he wants to salute and bow to them in the LokSabha.
How little Sashi becomes.
But Dear Sashi Indians and their Childerens to follow and History will not forgive you.
Dear Mundol,
U r speaking out of utter ignorance.Tharoor is efficient enough to serve Indian Parliament or any screwed up nation like yours which you are living in.He will never ever go to hell.Just watch out for the election results.He is going to be raised to the heights of glory soon.Malayalis are smart enough like tharoor.We will make sure that we will make it happen.Don’t dare to challenge our morale.Wait & See
Mundol, on March 25th, 2009 at 11:27 am Said:
Stupid, Shame for Indians, He doesn’t know any thing about freedom and Israel -Palestine’s problems, How shameful, One person doesn’t know Indian culture and society, how can he serve Indian parliament . Please. please ..Let him go to hell. I don’t think even any Malayali people will vote for him………
Dear Raj,
I guess you r still not tired &bored with the uneducated political hypocrites who has been ruling the Kerala state for several decades.We want someone who is educated,efficient,diplomatic ,multilingual,eloquent and who has international exposure
like Tharoor who can bring atleast a small difference in the lives of fellow keralites who are struggling for a longtime with the buearcratic rule which is still prevailing in the Gods Own Country……
rajnair, on March 26th, 2009 at 8:17 am Said:
The first question that sprang up in my mind when I heard that Mr. Tharoor is going to be standing for elections from the Trivandrum constituency was that, was it so difficult for a party like congress to find a man of the masses among its party members? Mr. Tharoor, in his election campaign, was talking about wanting to turn Trivandrum into some kind of a hightech city, which I suppose would in turn be a heaven for the rich; but what about the common people, the lower middle class and the poor, will they not be pushed and forced to survive in the peripheries of the city. I dread the day our city would be turned into the likes of Dubai city. We all know how difficult it has become for a common man to survive in that city thanks to the high cost of living. A person like Mr. Tharoor who expects us to sing our national anthem like the way americans do, would certainly want to turn this city into a snobbish city invaded by the rich NRIs. He should be talking about human welfare schemes, infrastructure development, environment and nature conservation, which is the need of the hour for a city like Trivandrum.
Dear Mathew,
Shame on you when you speaks for all Malayali Voters…The entire District Congress Commitee and Youth Congress along with The Kerala Predesh President and Leader of Opposition has oppossed Tharoors Candidature. As you have said there is a big line of Congress leaders in the Capital City who is sure to win the seat and who have already won the hearts of Trivandramites. I have seen Tharoor begging for votes in Vazhuthacaud where non of the leadrs were with him…Damn thing there is no good candidate competeing the Trivandrum seat in any of the party. Therefore it may the fate written by the Creator for the people of the Silicon Capital to bear.
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.
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…
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.
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…
@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.
I hate it when Shashi Tharoor speaks on behalf of 1 billion Indians.
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 .
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.
It is quite revealing that so many are interested in the activities of one man and have the time and wherewithal to criticize / support his actions. How does this help anyway? Would it not be better if all this energy was used in self-upliftment…..
I feel so ashamed that Shashi Tharoor was born in India. He is a just a snaobbish celebrity. He has no clue of what happens in India @ the grassroot level. All his life he just TALKED about people in sudan, palestine and some other parts of the world, while doing nothing either to help the world or India. He has no idea how difficult the life of a common Indian is.
While in UN he was boot licking people of some race or people in high places, in India he has always boot licked the Gandhi – Nehru family. This is the only reason why he even got an election ticket from the Congress party.
He is such a bastard that (of all things) he TWEETS his opinions as Government of India policy. He is such a lame and dumb idiot that he has no concern for that fact that he is a people representative and his below average opinions hurl shame on a billion Indians.
I am perfectly OK to have a honest, hard working, less educated person than Shahi tharoor representing India at the global stage
Does someone want to use him as a door stoper? I can trade him for an un use-able worn out cycle tire.
F**k you all!!!
Dr. Tharoor like personalities should come and do all initiatives to professionalise Indian politics.
These all are temporary issues, Personally I believe Dr. Tharoor will have a good role in Indian Politics (at least under the leadership of a non politician PM like Dr. Singh – Then the debate should be who should lead Indian Politics ? ), but should understand how to tackle this idiotic ideology based politicians, these politicians and there coccus like Mr. Modi shows power of money in our politics.
I am not a great fan of cricket (I enjoyed IPL final) but sill I don’t believe Dr. Tharoor had punished my state by granting a IPL team. Prakash karatt is shouting the slogan ‘kerala don’t want IPL’ (Bengal already has a team), its sure IPL will boost economical as well as infrastructural development at least for Kochi. But this is against comrades theory, poor should be always poor (otherwise looses their vote bank) and investors are ‘bhoorshaws’ / ‘exploiters. People who lives in kerala and Bengal knows now who is bhoorshaws…….. will continue