After expressing regret before the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee, India's Ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen on Friday tendered an unqualified apology before a similar panel of the Upper House for his controversial 'headless chickens' remarks in an interview to rediff.com.
"It was an act of indiscretion and it should not have been done," said Sen, who was subjected to a volley of questions by members of the Rajya Sabha Privileges Committee. The Committee is headed by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan.
Committee sources said that Sen could be let off after being reprimanded as it had been reportedly decided by the Lok Sabha committee.
Rajya Sabha committee members reportedly asked Sen how an experienced envoy like him could commit such an indiscretion and whether there was 'more to it'. The ambassador denied such suggestions.
Sen clarified that 'headless chickens' was a colloquial phrase which should not have been used.
The envoy reportedly said that his conversation with the journalist was a private one and it was not meant even for a third person. When asked why he did not file a case against the journalist, the ambassador said it would not have been befitting his status, the sources said.
Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shanker Prasad, S S Ahluwalia, Sitaram Yechury and Shantaram Naik were the other Parliamentarians present.
The Committee, which was expected to meet on November 16, is scheduled to meet on November 19 now.
