By IANS,
New Delhi : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s reticence should not be mistaken for reluctance, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor said here Wednesday.
“The media has mistaken Rahul Gandhi’s reticence for reluctance. There is a difference. Reticence to speak does not mean that he is not working. He just hasn’t been as forthcoming to the media,” Tharoor said at the Indian Women Press Corps.
Gandhi has been working very hard as can be seen in his recent intervention on bills such as the Lokpal, he said.
“The moment he starts shedding his reticence and (starts) speaking, you will see that the portrayal of him as of a reluctant person is wrong. He has been working, travelling the length and breadth of the country. He knows the issues and has his fingers on the pulse of the people of this country,” he said.
Tharoor welcomed the Congress party’s plan of announcing their prime ministerial candidate Jan 17.
“The country is ready for a rejuvenated Congress party. Not because we are tired of our own, but because we have been around for a while and there is perhaps a perception that we have become too familiar. So having fresh blood come into the leadership will send a signal that there is a fresh mandate,” he said.
On the recent Supreme Court verdict criminalising homosexuality, Tharoor said the ruling was completely out of date.
“The judge has invited the parliament to take action, but we have so little legislative time in parliament. There are so many pending bills. Since there was already a Delhi High Court judgment, we didn’t think it was necessary to add one more bill to the queue,” he said.
He said there was very little legislative time left now for parliament on the issue.
“I am not sure whether we can do it, and unfortunately I am not the one who makes that decision,” Tharoor said.