New Delhi:
He started out by saying "What is this tweeting tweeting tweeting?" But in the Rajya Sabha , Venkaiah Naidu wasn't looking for a dictionary description. He wanted to know why Shashi Tharoor can't keep his hands off Twitter.
"This is not the first time..he is tweeting...too much tweeting will lead to quitting.. counselling should be given to him," said Naidu, BJP leader.
Tharoor wasn't present, but the prime minister was seen looking down at his hands after Naidu's comments. The government has born its own share of heartache over Tharoor's twiddiction. (
Read: Congress has a word with Shashi Tharoor)
Since he discovered Twitter last summer, Tharoor, who is the Minister of State for External Affairs, has gone public with seeming insensitivity over issues close to the government's heart. One tweet described economy class travel as "cattle class" - a remark that pleased neither India's middle class nor Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who wanted her ministers to surrender business class travel as part of an austerity drive. (
Read: Tharoor's austerity drive tweet irks Congress)
More recently, a tweet about India's new visa policy for foreigners took what should have been a private discussion to lakhs of his followers on twitter. (
Read: Shashi Tharoor tweets on visa regime)
At NDTV's Indian of the Year Awards in February, Tharoor said. "I don't know what the fuss is about twitter. Many older politicians keep asking me about how to use it; and having an audience of 6 lakh something is an audience any politician would kill for."
Parliament seems to have its reservations about that approach.