After Congress MP Shashi Tharoor referred to legendary sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan as a sitar player, a number of Netizens turned to Twitter on Monday to brush up on his general knowledge.
The Congress MP goofed up in a statement he issued informing that he was stepping down as the host of a talk show on Sansad TV in solidarity with the 12 MPs who were suspended over unruly behaviour, manhandling security personnel in the last session. Tharoor has been hosting the talk show “To The Point” on Sansad TV.
The Congress MP wrote, “Since the revamp of parliament’s two television channels in August this year, I have been proud and privileged to host a talk show on Sansad TV, ‘To The Point”. The show permitted me to engage in meaningful conversations with significant figures of our non-political public life, ranging from sitar maestro Ustad Amjad All Khan Sahib to noted dneaste Adoor Gopalakrishnan and VSSC Director Dr S. Somanath.”
No sooner did the Congress MP issue the statement, many watchful netizens descended upon his timeline to school him. Many opined that if the Congress leader could not decipher between a Sitar and a Sarod it was better he quit from hosting the show.
Spoken to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan about Sitar? Engaging and meaningful discussions?
— ಶೇಖರ – शेखर 🇮🇳 (@csmspeak) December 6, 2021
You don’t deserve to be there sir. https://t.co/NcqRtju1Yl
You had meaningful conversations with people like sarod maestro Khan sahib thinking he plays sitar. Good you quit
— Janani Sampath Veeravalli✍️ 🇮🇳 (@jananisampath) December 6, 2021
“Ustad Amjad Ali plays Sitar.. And Rahul Gandhi is Batman. Good that he suspended himself”, one quipped.
Ustad Amjad Ali plays Sitar..
— Capt Africa 🇮🇳 (@Flying_Mallu) December 6, 2021
And Rahul Gandhi is Batman.
Good that he suspended himself.🤦♂️ https://t.co/2SkQFYI8jL
Some opined that the day is not far when Tharoor will claim that Ustad Bismillah Khan, an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, plays the saxophone and not a shehnai.
कल को ये बोलेगा कि उस्ताद बिस्मिल्ला खां सैक्सोफोन बजाते थे शहनाई नहीं https://t.co/Rndj8QyNVV
— Alexa Supertramp (@shekhariyat) December 6, 2021
Ustad Bismillah khan ko Saxophone player bta dega bhai tu to😒 https://t.co/efIfBxMzcF
— SHUBHAM🇮🇳♥️🌍 (@2sk1lled4u) December 6, 2021
One Twitter user opined that Shashi Tharoor was so engrossed in brushing up his English vocabulary that he missed working on his general knowledge.
Parliament really is an attractive place to work! One can go in as a ignorant buffoon and come out as a polished English speaker. https://t.co/Uw9DapKc3Q
— Vishalakshi (@Vishalakshi2891) December 6, 2021
Another Twitter user shared the picture of the two instruments- Sarod and the Sitar to educate the Congress MP.
It’s always amazing and wonderful to know that an elected representative such as @ShashiTharoor has no clue on the difference between Sarod and Sitar
— Shankaran_ (@shankaran_5) December 6, 2021
To start your lesson
Picture of the left is sarod and right is sitar
SAROD SITAR https://t.co/w7HmXWSAYM pic.twitter.com/uJWtP6YKFm
Interestingly, Shashi Tharoor’s decision to step down as the host of the talk show “To The Point” on Sansad TV came after Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said she was stepping down as the anchor of the Sansad TV’s show ‘Meri Kahaani’. She is among the 12 suspended Rajya Sabha MPs.
Chaturvedi, in a letter dated December 5 to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, said, “After my arbitrary suspension, that has totally disgraced established parliamentary norms and rules, to stifle my voice, my party’s voice inside the chamber, I am unwilling to continue taking space on Sansad TV when my primary oath to the Constitution is being denied to me.”
Twelve opposition MPs were suspended from the Rajya Sabha last Monday for the entire Winter Session of Parliament for their “unruly” conduct in the previous session in August. According to reports, they were reprimanded for indiscipline during the monsoon session of the house, which had to be ended two days prior to the scheduled date after it witnessed a commotion in the Upper House on the last day of the session.
While six suspended MPs are from the Congress; two each are from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M).
At the time of this report, even after being corrected by netizens, Tharoor has not yet corrected that Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is a sarod player and not a sitar player.
