'I would love to change Indian political culture,' says Tharoor - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Friday said he wanted to change Indian political culture, which sadly doesn't welcome discussions. But Tharoor said he did not have the "rank, or the authority or the background" to bring change into the system. "I would love to change that culture, but I can't as an individual start setting the pace. I don't have the rank or the authority or the background to be doing that. I think I should have been, in that sense, a little more restrained about putting it on Twitter, or indeed even saying it on TV at that point," Tharoor said. Tharoor said he has been brought down by elements in our society who rather revel in bringing down people as well. "I have been brought down, but I am not going to make any bones about it," Tharoor said. In the interview, Tharoor defended his tweeting about government policies, saying everybody else was doing it. "Everybody else is doing it. Even the Prime Minister of Australia tweets. Foreign Secretary of Britain David Miliband tweets and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweets. In fact, when she was in Delhi, there were a dozen tweets a day about all her activities and her meetings," he said "The truth is when any thought you express can reach out to almost seven lakh people, wouldn't any politician kill for an audience like that?" Tharoor asked. During the interview, he also observed that Indian political culture was not the one which welcomed a public discussion of issues requiring debate. "I only regret the visa tweet because of the nature of our political culture, which is not one sadly, where public discussion of issues requiring discussions is particularly welcomed," Tharoor said.