Ahmedabad, DeshGujarat

Shashi Tharoor’s interaction event at IIM Ahmedabad today was undemocratic. That’s because, though format was interactive, not a single question from audience was taken at all! Perhaps to shield Tharoor against possible questions on Sunanda Tharoor’s murder mystery.

Tharoor came and speak for sometime and later announced question/answer time. Everyone in audience was ready with questions, but it actually turned out to be a stage-managed question/answer round!

A person from IIMA, seating next to Shashi Tharoor on stage only asked all the questions, while audience sitting there was not allowed to ask even a single question. This was in contradiction with earlier session in which the guest speaker, author Ashwin Sanghi spoke first and later interacted freely with the audience for about an hour. Those who asked good questions were selected and given books as prize.

But contrary to Ashwin Sanghi’s session, controversial politician Shashi Tharoor’s event was highly guarded. Perhaps because Tharoor is these days in discussion for her wife’s mysterious murder for which he was recently questioned by cops. IIMA nevertheless possibly found him highly inspiring to invite him to address the students.

Tharoor session was treated differently right from the beginning. As soon as the earlier session of Ashwin Sanghi ended, all those present in RJMCI hall were asked to leave the auditorium, and re-enter the venue by showing identity cards to security persons deployed outside the gate.

Tharoor arrived late due to delay in flight. He had one gunman guarding him on stage, but IIMA also deployed several private security guards on stage for this session. Contrary to other sessions where there was nothing like private security, here in Tharoor’s session, four blue-dressed private guards were seen on right side corner of the stage.

Tharoor in one of his replies attacked television media, and that part is presented here in amateur mobile video, as the event was not filmed with camera.

IIMA Chaos team’s Rejoinder to this article

The article ‘IIMA shields Shashi Tharoor against possible unpleasant questions’ dated 26/01/15 has certain misrepresented facts regarding Dr. Shashi Tharoor. IIMA has clarified that at no stage did Dr. Tharoor or his office ask the organizers of Chaos 2015 for a closed format of the talk as suggested by the article. The organizers of the event, primarily consisting of students, were forced to cut short the Q&A session of Dr. Tharoor due to shortage of time and all questions submitted by students previously were answered by Dr. Tharoor.

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