Tharoor apologises for ‘power without responsibility’ remark on Kejriwal

PTI, Jan 14, 2020, 2:22 PM IST

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday apologised on Twitter after he was criticised for his remark that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wants power without responsibility, something which has been “the prerogative of eunuchs”.

On Monday night, Tharoor alleged that Kejriwal is trying to have it both ways by making statements deploring the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) but has not taken any tangible action.

“He has not even shown human compassion one expects from a chief minister from victims of violence in his state. In any other state, had students been bashed up in this manner, the chief minister would have visited them and shown them some concern,” Tharoor told a TV channel.

“Mr Kejriwal really wants power without responsibility, which we all know has been the prerogative of eunuchs for ages,” he said.

The remark drew sharp criticism on social media as netizens accused him of “transphobia” and asked him to apologise to the LGBT community.

“Apologies to those who found my quote about ‘power without responsibility’ offensive. It’s an old line from British politics, going back to Kipling & PrimeMinister Stanley Baldwin, & most recently used by Tom Stoppard. I recognize that its use today was inappropriate & withdraw it,” Tharoor tweeted on Tuesday morning.

He did not directly mention the “eunuch” reference which had sparked outrage.