Ronen Sen apologises for chicken comment
Ambassador Sen's comment triggered a furore in Parliament when it was reported by an Indian Web site in August, with angry MPs demanding the government recall him. Sen said the comment was not on the record and was aimed at journalists and not at ...
By Agencies |
NEW DELHI: India's envoy to the United States Ronen Sen formally apologised to Parliament on Monday for likening MPs opposed to a controversial nuclear deal with Washington to a "headless chicken", lawmakers said.
Ambassador Sen's comment triggered a furore in Parliament when it was reported by an Indian Web site in August, with angry MPs demanding the government recall him. Sen said the comment was not on the record and was aimed at journalists and not at politicians.
Nevertheless, he apologised if it had hurt anybody's feelings. Lawmakers were not placated, however, and summoned him to the privileges committees of the upper and lower houses. "He offered an unconditional apology. The matter is almost closed now," said one lawmaker on the lower house panel, who spoke on condition of anonymity as proceedings are not supposed to be made public before they are announced in the chamber.
"He said the conversation was not on the record," the MP told reporters outside parliament, adding that the panel would draft a report and place it in parliament when it convenes next month. Sen is due to make a similar appearance before the upper house panel on Friday.
According to the report published on a website, Sen rounded on critics of the civilian nuclear cooperation deal, opposition to which has threatened to pull down Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition government. "It has been approved here by the president, and there it's been approved by the Indian cabinet," the website quoted Sen as telling its reporter in Washington.
"So why do you have all this running around like headless chicken, looking for a comment here or comment there, and these little storms in a tea cup?" Rediff has said Sen's conversation with its reporter was on the record and that it stood by the report.
Ambassador Sen's comment triggered a furore in Parliament when it was reported by an Indian Web site in August, with angry MPs demanding the government recall him. Sen said the comment was not on the record and was aimed at journalists and not at politicians.
Nevertheless, he apologised if it had hurt anybody's feelings. Lawmakers were not placated, however, and summoned him to the privileges committees of the upper and lower houses. "He offered an unconditional apology. The matter is almost closed now," said one lawmaker on the lower house panel, who spoke on condition of anonymity as proceedings are not supposed to be made public before they are announced in the chamber.
"He said the conversation was not on the record," the MP told reporters outside parliament, adding that the panel would draft a report and place it in parliament when it convenes next month. Sen is due to make a similar appearance before the upper house panel on Friday.
According to the report published on a website, Sen rounded on critics of the civilian nuclear cooperation deal, opposition to which has threatened to pull down Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition government. "It has been approved here by the president, and there it's been approved by the Indian cabinet," the website quoted Sen as telling its reporter in Washington.
"So why do you have all this running around like headless chicken, looking for a comment here or comment there, and these little storms in a tea cup?" Rediff has said Sen's conversation with its reporter was on the record and that it stood by the report.
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