ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has landed himself into another tweet controversy after his comments on the new visa regulations, on the social networking site.
Wondering whether the tightening of the visa norms for foreign nationals made any sense at all and if it would actually "protect" security, Tharoor asked whether India would allow terrorists to make it a "less welcoming" destination adding that the "26/11 killers had no visas."
The Union Home Ministry has recently tightened visa regulations in the wake of long-term multi-entry visas given to Pakistani-American Headley and Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana, both arrested in the US for plotting terror attacks against India.
Tharoor had earlier drawn flak for his tweets on the Government’s austerity drive and the public holiday on Gandhi Jayanti says in his recent tweet "Is all that worth it just in hope of making it difficult for a future Headley to recce? R we going 2 allow terrorists 2 make us less welcoming?”.
The Minister also said "making it more difficult 2 visit India, return here frequently or stay long hurts large nbrs of innocents, costs us millions of $ (Dollars) & alienates."
"No easy answers 2such qsns (to such questions) government is grappling with. But important to recognize that security not become an excuse 2change (to change) our cntry 4d worse (country for the worse)," Tharoor said.
External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna immediately ticked off Tharoor by asking him to discuss his "perceptions" within "four walls" of the government rather than in public.
BJP described Tharoor's tweet on new visa rules as "callous" and said the government should clarify its position on the issue instead of "speaking in different voices". BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said “How can a person in his position make such statements even in jest?"
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has landed himself into another tweet controversy after his comments on the new visa regulations, on the social networking site. Wondering whether the tightening of the visa norms for foreign nationals made any sense at all and if it would...
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has landed himself into another tweet controversy after his comments on the new visa regulations, on the social networking site.
Wondering whether the tightening of the visa norms for foreign nationals made any sense at all and if it would actually "protect" security, Tharoor asked whether India would allow terrorists to make it a "less welcoming" destination adding that the "26/11 killers had no visas."
The Union Home Ministry has recently tightened visa regulations in the wake of long-term multi-entry visas given to Pakistani-American Headley and Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana, both arrested in the US for plotting terror attacks against India.
Tharoor had earlier drawn flak for his tweets on the Government’s austerity drive and the public holiday on Gandhi Jayanti says in his recent tweet "Is all that worth it just in hope of making it difficult for a future Headley to recce? R we going 2 allow terrorists 2 make us less welcoming?”.
The Minister also said "making it more difficult 2 visit India, return here frequently or stay long hurts large nbrs of innocents, costs us millions of $ (Dollars) & alienates."
"No easy answers 2such qsns (to such questions) government is grappling with. But important to recognize that security not become an excuse 2change (to change) our cntry 4d worse (country for the worse)," Tharoor said.
External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna immediately ticked off Tharoor by asking him to discuss his "perceptions" within "four walls" of the government rather than in public.
BJP described Tharoor's tweet on new visa rules as "callous" and said the government should clarify its position on the issue instead of "speaking in different voices". BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said “How can a person in his position make such statements even in jest?"
Leave a Comment