Shashi Tharoor''s tweet on Miss World Manushi Chhillar backfires

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 19

Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor’s attempt at humour by comparing the surname of newly-crowned Miss World from India Manushi Chhillar to the Hindi term ‘chillar’ (loose change) in a tweet on Sunday backfired with the National Commission for Women deciding to summon him over his “derogatory” remark.

“What a mistake to demonetise our currency! BJP should have realised that Indian cash dominates the globe: look, even our Chhillar has become Miss World!” Tharoor had tweeted.

Condemning Tharoor’s comment, the NCW also demanded that he should apologise for allegedly degrading the achievement of Chhillar.

Tharoor apologised over his remark, which, he said was a “light-hearted” comment and also praised Chhillar.

However, it was not clear if he apologised after the NCW took serious view of the tweet.

 “@NCWIndia will summon @ShashiTharoor to commission on his derogatory and degrading tweet on our pride @ManushiChhillar. She got fame and name to country by winning #MissWorld crown,” the commission said on Twitter.

Accusing Tharoor of degrading the achievement of Chhillar, a medical student who hails from Haryana, the NCW asked whether the Congress leader will call his own daughter a “chillar”.

“...he must apologise immediately,” it said.

Tharoor apologised, stressing that no offence was meant to the “bright young girl”.

The comment drew the ire of people on Twitter with many, including actor Anupam Kher, criticising the veteran politician.

While a user asked him why he was demonetising his own value, others asked him to respect the community and not make fun of it.

Manushi Chhillar from Haryana won the coveted crown at a glittering event in China yesterday.

In a bit of damage control, Tharoor later apologised in another tweet.

“Guess the pun IS the lowest form of humour, & the bilingual pun lower still! Apologies to the many who seem to have been righteously offended by a light-hearted tweet today. Certainly no offence was meant to a bright young girl whose answer i've separately praised. Please: Chill!” he posted.

Here are some reaction from Twitter.