Shashi Twitteroor:To what end?

The unexpected re-election of the UPA for the second term gave the Congress Party a new mandate to change their old and haggard image by inducting some younger, progressive, modern educated professionals into the Cabinet. We find this, for example, in the appointment of first-time Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor as the Minister of State for External Affairs.

Tharoor, a well-known columnist and writer, had been a career diplomat in the United Nations until his successful foray into Indian politics early this year. Today, he is perhaps better known for his twittering skills than for his diplomacy. He used his twitter account during this electoral campaign. He is the first Indian to have more than 10,000 followers. He is the only politician and minister in the Union Cabinet who has a verified account with Twitter and tweets almost daily. No wonder he is often referred to as Shashi Twitteroor.

Twitter, however, is not new to politicians abroad. US President Barack Obama has nearly 1.6 million followers. And even the mayor of San Francisco in the United States, Gavin Newsom, has over 630,000 followers.

The English-speaking computer-friendly public appreciates the regularity and transparency found in Tharoor’s tweets. It gives them a direct insight into the daily life of an Indian parliamentarian. It familiarizes them with tasks accomplished and opinions of their Minister. This way it does create a sense of accountability. Tharoor’s twitter page mirrors a journal or a task list. Often addressed as the Minister of Twitter, Tharoor has confessed that his tweets are also intended to broaden the foreign policy discussion in India.

Tharoor has been in the news for reacting sarcastically and wittily, sometimes also childishly, to many events. For example, his response to the Congress Party’s push for austerity measures reveals a side of his character that is difficult to reconcile for many of the old-timers in politics. Recognizing the seriousness of the country’s worst drought and fiscal deficit, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi had recently called on politicians to contribute a certain proportion of their salaries to drought relief. She wanted the Party to respect the commitment to the “aam admi”. This was when it was found that Shashi Tharoor was staying in the lavish Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi as he found the government accommodation provided to him quite lacking in the basics. It did not have a gymnasium. Tharoor, of course, moved out quickly and also clarified that he was paying for the hotel accommodation out of his personal funds – not using public money. Many sniggered at his lack of sensitivity to the aam admi by staying in such luxury when millions were dying of starvation. The Congress Party then requested all its politicians to fly economy and not business class. When a fan asked him about his reaction to flying “cattle class” to which he tweeted back, “Absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows”.

Instantly Tharoor was accused of elitism and classism. The charge did not stem from the use of the term ‘holy cows’ as cows are considered to be holy in India. On the contrary, some of the Congress leaders were upset that Tharoor referred to all of them as ‘cattle’. This was absolutely insensitive and shocking. Tharoor was pulled up for his “indecent comments’ and he immediately apologized. Ironically the dictionary defines economy class as cattle class as well.

Was this indecency on the part of Tharoor? Not at all. On the contrary, he hit politicians where it hurts most – for hypocrisy and double standards. Tharoor is unusually frank, open and transparent – qualities not easily found in many veteran politicians. Many are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide. They profess to be teetotalers in public but enjoy their drinks every day. They may wear khadi but have no problems driving around in BMWs. They may travel by train but buy the most expensive perfumes. Tharoor rightly questions this insincerity.

Tharoor has also opened up the question of the freedom (in this case the lack of it) available to politicians. It is true that social networking sites are the new age medium of savvy communications, but is it fair to criticize individuals for their opinions on such networks? Should politicians be frank and fearless or succumb to the wily ways of the old-timers?

Tharoor is definitely bitten by the twitter bug! I hope this epidemic spreads rapidly. It will be one epidemic that will be good for democracy and India.