Twitter had a field day earlier when Congress MP Shashi Tharoor accused Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of enjoying “power without responsibility”.
Mr Kejriwal really wants power without responsibility, which we all know has been the prerogative of the eunuch for ages.
#TharoorOnNews18 – Mr. Kejriwal really wants power without responsibility, which we all know has been the prerogative of eunuchs for ages: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor)
— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 13, 2020
Watch #NewsEpicentre with @maryashakil. #CitizenshipShowdown pic.twitter.com/WhcP5paCAt
Tharoor’s comments, made during an interview given to CNN-News18, were seen as harsh by many. A few even thought the statement was transphobic up to an extent.
Mr. @ShashiTharoor do you really have to be a transphobe and use the word eunuch like that? Shame on you. Should you be using trans persons, especially the hijra community as an adjective to refer to someone? Because clearly you meant to use that as a cuss word. APOLOGIZE. https://t.co/5aVIIaZbOI
— Dipannita (@GrinchUnlimited) January 14, 2020
😳 Shashi Tharoor called Arvind Kejriwal a eunuch.The LGBTQ community on Twitter isn’t offended because it comes from an English speaking MP from the Congress party. Irony is, this MP introduced a bill to amend Section 377. Is everything they do a farce?🤦♀️ pic.twitter.com/renU8LAUKr
— Ishita Yadav (@IshitaYadav) January 14, 2020
Even though Shashi Tharoor, realizing the damage that has been done, apologized he missed the word that courted all the controversy.
Apologies to those who found my quote about “power without responsibility” offensive. It’s an old line from British politics, going back to Kipling & PrimeMinister Stanley Baldwin, &most recently used by Tom Stoppard. I recognize that its use today was inappropriate &withdraw it.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 13, 2020
Even though a war of words is what unfolds every time a seasoned politician takes on another one, this distasteful remark from Tharoor was uncalled for.
No, Shashi Tharoor, the problem is not with ‘power without responsibility’ phrase but calling your political opponent a ‘eunuch’. Distasteful politics aside, it shows your insensitive and crass disdain for the LGBT community. All the glib talk can’t hide your regressive mindset..
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) January 14, 2020
And we thought you knew better Mr. Tharoor!
