NEW DELHI : Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday accused sections of the media of misrepresenting his remarks on the government’s controversial amendment bill that seeks to remove ministers, including the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers, if they remain in jail for 30 consecutive days.
In a sharp post on X, Tharoor clarified that he had not studied the bill and had neither supported nor opposed it. He said his comment was limited to a matter of principle: “If a minister spends 30 days in jail, it’s common sense he cannot remain in office — but the wider intent of the Bill must be studied.”
Tharoor slammed reports portraying him as backing the bill, calling them “clickbait masquerading as journalism” and a “disservice to democracy.”
“I specifically stated (and this was before the Opposition had taken a stand on the Bill) that I had not studied the bill but that on the face of it I could see nothing wrong with the proposition that wrongdoers should resign their ministerial positions. I added that I was neither supporting nor opposing the bill without studying it. I see the media has done their usual thing,” he wrote.
The clarification comes on the day after his remarks created ripples within the Congress party, with many interpreting them as support for the government’s position.