Indian envoy apologizes to MPs over ‘headless chicken’ remarks

NEW DELHI—India’s envoy to the United States formally apologized to parliament on Monday for likening MPs opposed to a controversial nuclear deal with Washington to a “headless chicken,” lawmakers said.
Ambassador Ronen Sen’s comment triggered a furor in parliament when it was reported by an Indian Web site in August, with angry MPs demanding the government recall him.
Sen said the comment was not on the record and was aimed at journalists and not at politicians. Nevertheless, he apologized if it had hurt anybody’s feelings. Lawmakers were not placated, however, and summoned him to the privileges committees of the upper and lower houses.
“He offered an unconditional apology. The matter is almost closed now,” said one lawmaker on the lower house panel, who spoke on condition of anonymity as proceedings are not supposed to be made public before they are announced in the chamber.
“He said the conversation was not on the record,” the MP told reporters outside parliament, adding that the panel would draft a report and place it in parliament when it convenes next month. Sen is due to make a similar appearance before the upper house panel on Friday.
According to the report published on rediff.com (www.rediff.com), Sen rounded on critics of the civilian nuclear cooperation deal, opposition to which has threatened to pull down Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s coalition government.
“It has been approved here by the president, and there it’s been approved by the Indian cabinet,” rediff.com quoted Sen as telling its reporter in Washington. “So why do you have all this running around like headless chicken, looking for a comment here or comment there, and these little storms in a tea cup?”
Rediff has said Sen’s conversation with its reporter was on the record and that it stood by the report.
Indian ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen tendered unconditional apology to law makers here on Monday on his “headless chickens” remarks reportedly he made against the parliamentarians who were opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal during the debate in the parliament a few weeks ago.
Media reports said in Indian parliamentary history, this is perhaps for the time that a senior diplomat appeared before the law makers and tendered apology for his controversial remarks. The parliamentarians protested over the remarks and this case was referred to the privilege committee. He appeared before the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee on Monday and tendered an unqualified apology.
Media reports said the panel is likely to accept his apology. However, Committee Chairman V Kishorchandra Deo said he would submit a report to the House. When he was asked why he made such remarks, he told the Committee “it was not an interview but a mobile phone conversation and that too was off the record.” The ambassador will now appear before the Rajya Sabha privileges committee on November 2.—Agencies