Is the Lok Sabha not an attractive workplace? Shashi Tharoor, a Congress Member of Parliament, hinted at this when he tagged a photo of six female Members of Parliament as such. The photograph was taken during the opening of Parliament’s Winter Session. As the remark drew criticism for its veiled sexism, the Congress MP issued an apology on Twitter.
With Mr Tharoor in the backdrop, the women MPs, from all parties, were all smiling.
Trinamool’s Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty, Amarinder Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur, NCP’s Supriya Sule, Congress’s Jothimani, and Tamizhachi Thangapandia posed with Mr Tharoor.
The tweet drew biting criticism for queering the equality discourse and being insensitive.
Tharoor then clarified that the photo – a selfie that appears to have been shot by Chakraborty — was taken and posted at the request of the women MPs, and that he was “sad” that “some people are offended.”
“The whole selfie thing was done in good fun (at the initiative of the female MPs), and they were the ones who urged me to tweet it in the same spirit. I apologize if this offends anyone, but I was delighted to be included in this display of workplace solidarity. That’s the only thing I have to say on the subject “In a subsequent post, the MP elaborated.
