What a fall, Mr. Tharoor!

It’s a shame Shashi Tharoor’s foray into Indian politics should end in this fashion – in clear disgrace. He has let down all his admirers who expected him to bring a burst of energy, intellectual vigour and high ethical standards. He’s failed on all counts inside a fairly tumultuous, controversy-filled year.

Corruption rages in Indian politics but few get caught. So, one would have to say Tharoor has been remarkably naïve to be trapped with his hand in the cookie jar. He still protests his innocence. But unfortunately, even if we could believe that he does not directly benefit from the association with the IPL Kochi franchise, it would be hard to believe how and why his close associate (and, if reports are to be believed, his fiancée), Sunanda Pushkar, should have been rewarded with free equity worth an estimated Rs. 700 million (over $1.5 million) in the IPL Kochi.

A total lack of discretion has been the hallmark of Tharoor’s brief stint as a union minister. First it was the tweets but rather than heed the warning signals, Tharoor continued to see himself as being the white knight out to save Indian politics from its own cesspool, by introducing a dash of modernity and tech chutzpah. Of course, he had to profoundly apologize for his tweets on more than one occasion, but survived by the skin of his teeth even for an apparent slight to Jawaharlal Nehru.

Now what?

Tharoor would, of course, continue as an MP of Thiruvananthapuram but it is hard to see somebody like him traipsing in the backwaters of a remote state. He’s got way too much going on to be motivated by that kind of work. He can go back to writing, for example. Besides, even if Tharoor toils for years together in his constituency, it is unlikely to take him any higher in Indian politics and certainly not where it matters to him – the centre of power. In fact, more than power, it is the attention he appears to crave. Many think he is egoistic. He may be but Tharoor seems much more like a Page 3 wannabe masquerading as a politician.

Redemption for Tharoor is long and far.