Not illegal to provide service to C'Wealth Games: Shashi Tharoor

Former Union minister Shashi Tharoor today denied that his appointment as an international consultant to advise the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee for Youth Games involved any irregularities as the services rendered predated his entry into public life.

In a rejoinder to the report that Shunglu committee probing irregularities in conduct of CWG finding irregularities in his role as consultant, he said there was nothing illegal,unethical immoral or improper about his rendering paid services at that time to a nationally-supported international endeavour and for having been  officially, formally and legally paid for it.

Tharoor said he had cooperated with Shunglu committee investigators who approached him and made Email records of his work available. They did not ask any follow up questions.

"I am therefore disappointed by the needless controversy, based on misleading and partial reports sought to be stirred up on the matter. I trust the above comprehensive clarification will place this issue at rest," the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram said in a statement here.

He said his association with CWG as consultant had nothing to do with his present career as an MP, but related totally to an earlier phase of his life when he was a private citizen setting out on an independent stint as an international consultant after a life-long career in the UN. He said he was working out of New York and Dubai then and had no relationship to the government or with any aspect of Indian public life.

He said while pursuing an independent professional career he was officially approached by CWG officials to extend his consultancy services to promote the event, to which he agreed as part of his professional engagements at the time.

"They felt the active advocacy of a person of my stature and international reputation would be an asset to the Games and I was glad to oblige," he said.