New Delhi: Union minister Shashi Tharoor is not new to controversies. Former UN diplomat and a celebrated author Shashi Tharoor's candidature from Thiruvananthapuram in 2009 had led to a huge controversy in Kerala. The local Congress leaders were against an 'outsider' like Tharoor contesting from there. They had even questioned his fluency in Malayalam. But, Tharoor dared to contest and won. An impressed Congress President Sonia Gandhi even made him a minister of state for foreign affairs immediately, causing a heart burn to many other aspirants.
A few months after he took charge as a minister, his stay at a 5-star hotel in New Delhi became a big issue. The then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee ordered him to vacate his hotel suit and move into a modest government accommodation.
A month later, Tharoor's tweet on 'cattle class' caused a lot of embarrassment for the government. In a response to a tweet on government's austerity drive Tharoor had tweeted that "he too was travelling in the cattle class like many others". Tharoor had to apologize for hurting the sentiments of economy class passengers.
In April 2010, Tharoor was forced to quit as a minister after his alleged links with a Kochi IPL franchise was exposed. He was accused of helping Sunanda Pushkar to clinch a deal. It was vehemently denied by the both. Eventually, Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar got married ending the controversy and rumours.
Shashi Tharoor returned to the Union Cabinet as a minister of state for HRD in October 2012. But, the controversies did not end with it. The 'strained' relationship with Sunanda became public. Some tabloids and social media platforms made it public. It was once again denied by the both.
BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi even called Sunanda a Rs 50 crore girlfriend of Tharoor. It had attracted a lot of criticism.
The latest controversy over his 'hacked' Twitter account is the most damning. It has come at a wrong time. Shashi Tharoor is facing a very tough Lok Sabha election in the next four months. The opposition parties will surely use the latest hacked Twitter controversy against him during the polls.
'Washing the dirty linen in public' might cost him dearly in the coming days.
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