Chatter builds up after Tharoor Twitter

Shashi Tharoor may have got the portfolio he wanted but clearly his transition from a UN diplomat to the Minister of State for External Affairs has not been as smooth as he would have expected it to be. After goofing up by announcing his ministerial responsibilities on Twitter even before they were officially assigned to him,Tharoor made another faux pas. On a television discussion,when asked about the continued financial assistance to Pakistan by the United States,Tharoor remarked that the Government of India did not take positions on one country’s aid to another. “That’s really not our business,” he said. The comment was received with surprise in the MEA considering the fact that India has often made official reactions to US aid to Pakistan earlier. Some said may be that used to be the UN position. Tharoor,meanwhile,continues to tweet and has clarified to one reader that he would put nothing on Twitter which he can’t say publicly. “Obviously no state secrets. Nor will i conduct diplomacy thru twitter!” he said.