India's Ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen on Monday appeared before the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee and tendered an apology for his "headless chicken" comments.
In an interview to rediff.com on August 20 titled 'We will have zero credibility', Sen had said: "It has been approved here (in Washington, DC) by the President, and there (in New Delhi) it's been approved by the Indian cabinet. So why do you have all this running around like headless chicken, looking for a comment here or comment there, and these little storms in a tea-cup?"
Soon, Members of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left parties objected to some of the ambassador's comments in the interview, and disrupted Parliament's proceedings.
Following the uproar, Sen clarified: "My comment about "running round like headless chicken looking for a comment here or comment there" was a tactless observation on some of my media friends, and most certainly not with reference to any Honourable Member of Parliament."
Committee sources said the panel is likely to accept his apology and take no further action against him.
However, Committee Chairman V Kishorchandra Deo declined to say anything except that he would submit a report to the House.
Varkala Radhakrihnan (CPI-M) quizzed Sen asking him why he made such remarks.
Sen reportedly told the Committee that it was not an interview but a mobile phone conversation and that too was off the record.
This is perhaps for the first time in Parliamentary history that a top diplomat appeared before the law makers for making controversial remarks that created a furore in both the Houses of Parliament during the monsoon session.
Members took serious exception to his remarks and demanded that he be recalled and also summoned before the Privileges Committee.
Sen will appear before the Rajya Sabha privileges committee on November 2 for a similar hearing.