Ahmedabad (Gujarat): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said “I was in Russia on a previously planned engagement. It was an opportunity as well to touch base with my counterparts. In India, our Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee covers both the Upper House and the Lower House. In many other countries, each House has a different head, so I saw my counterparts in the Upper House and the Lower House. I also saw my old friend, the Russian Foreign Minister, but by and large, our message has been consistent. Fortunately, the delegation sent by our government had already been there and met these people, so my task was not a difficult one to reinforce the message. Russia has been an old and trusted friend of India for some time, and it's always good to maintain these relationships. I also did some public events there, interviews and interaction with students. So it was that kind of visit. None of the dramatic sort of James Bond stuff that people have been speculating about, nothing of that nature, no secret missions there.”
