- Priyanka Chaturvedi was called "Shashi Tharoor in a saree" during an ANI podcast with Smita Prakash
- Chaturvedi laughed off the comparison and said she would inform Shashi Tharoor about it
- Shashi Tharoor responded by saying he felt flattered by the comparison from Chaturvedi
A prominent podcaster's "Shashi Tharoor in a saree" comment on Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has drawn a witty response from the senior Congress MP. Mr Tharoor has said he considers himself "flattered" with this comparison with the fellow MP.
During the ANI podcast with senior journalist Smita Prakash, Ms Chaturvedi was asked about her recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which sparked rumours that the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP may switch sides.
"I sometimes love irritating people because they are so invested in my life. 'Where is she going next?'" she replied. Ms Prakash quipped, "You are Shashi Tharoor in a saree basically, that's what you are." To this, Ms Chaturvedi responded with a laugh and added, "I don't know if that's a compliment for Shashi or a compliment for me. But I am going to tell Shashi."
Ms Chaturvedi said that as soon as she shared the photographs of her meeting with the Prime Minister on social media, her critics started claiming that they had foreseen a party switch. "Keep doing this, you know what I am doing in my life. Please be happy," she said.
Mr Tharoor has now responded to the "Shashi Tharoor in a saree" remark and Ms Chaturvedi's reply that she did not know if it was a compliment for her or the Congress MP. Sharing a clip from the podcast, he has said, "Thanks, Priyanka. I consider myself flattered either way!"
During the podcast, Ms Chaturvedi took questions on her political positions, how she deals with trolls, and her party backed her when she represented India in one of the Indian delegations that went abroad to articulate New Delhi's standpoint after Operation Sindoor. "I am a very vocal member of the Opposition when I am in my country. But when I am outside my country, I am the ambassador for my nation," she said. Ms Chaturvedi said she had a "nice 20-minute conversation" with the Prime Minister and that she told him that this was first time she was part of a parliamentary delegation abroad.
She also spoke about the language row in Maharashtra and how the Sena (UBT) has distanced itself from violence over language.
