Tharoor's UN bid has Delhi puzzled

NEW DELHI: The external affairs ministry was not involved in the decision to nominate Shashi Tharoor for the post of United Nations secretary general. In fact, the decision was taken at the Prime Minister's office with Parliament's support.

Analysts and officials are as puzzled as ordinary citizens. One theory as to why Tharoor received the Prime Minister's backing is that he is being rewarded for helping attain details regarding the Volcker report. The information Tharoor acquired helped to nail former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh.

Some analysts are concerned that Tharoor may not attain the post. "It is one thing for small nations to contest a UN post and lose. It is another thing for a country aiming for a place in the Security Council to lose out. There is the question of a nation's prestige,'' says K Subrahmanyam, a strategic analyst.

Opposition to Tharoor has also come from an unexpected quarter. Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalist Association, has objected to Tharoor's nomination on grounds that Tharoor had defended Satya Sai Baba and his "miracles'' in the past.

"Tharoor, despite his carefully nurtured image as an intellectual, is a hardcore obscurantist.

He does not miss a single opportunity to raise his voice in the para-normal claims of godmen and miracle mongers,'' the association said in a statement. However, several others are confident that the country only stands to gain from the outcome of Tharoor's bid.