Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 15
Congress leader
Shashi Tharoor, who was last week questioned by police in the case of
his wife Sunanda Pushkar's murder, Sunday termed as "false" reports in a
section of media here that he was not cooperating with the probe.
Tharoor's
reaction came as media persons caught up with him here to seek his
comment on the reports in a section of the media here had reported that
Tharoor could be arrested as he was not cooperating with the SIT.
"I
was so surprised about the reports that have surfaced in the media. I
even asked the SIT (special investigation team) why they are not issuing
a denial," he said.
"The SIT said to me that since not a single
official of theirs has spoken to the media, they are unable to issue a
denial," added Tharoor who was in the capital city - part of his Lok
Sabha constituency - to take part in the closing ceremony of the 35th
National Games that was held here Saturday.
It was in January
17, 2014 that Pushkar was found dead in a plush hotel in the national
capital and in January this year, the Delhi Police concluded that she
was murdered.
From an interview with Tharoor:
I confess it has not been easy and there are
times when it becomes extremely frustrating to see the media spew pure slander
in the name of investigative journalism.
It becomes all the more difficult because the
sad demise of my wife is a matter of an ongoing investigation and it would be
irresponsible of me to make casual statements or engage in debate in the media,
leaving aside the fact that it is also an intensely personal matter for myself
and our bereaved family.
Unfortunately my silence, which is a matter of
procedural exactness and propriety, is being maliciously construed by some as
an admission of guilt, and I am being cast as a villain simply because I refuse
to allow myself to be drawn into the media’s demand for on-screen trials and
speculation in the midst of an ongoing police investigation.
Some have gone so far as to call for my
resignation – but for what, it is not clear, since I have not been charged with
anything. As far as I am concerned, if we are going to become a country in
which charges in the media, however unfounded and false, should oblige a
politician to give up the trust of his voters, which he has won the hard way
through dedicated work and by winning challenging elections, then what kind of
a democracy has ours become?
We have rules in this country and we have laws
in our society. I have always respected the law, and I shall continue to do so,
and I retain the hope that my silence will be vindicated by the law of the
land. In matters of conscience, I do not require validation from a hostile
media. My conscience is clear and I have faith that the truth - the real truth,
and not theories daily dished out for TRPs –( Television Rating Point) will
triumph.
