New Delhi, April 24: Sunanda Pushkar, who was at the centre of the IPL Kochi controversy that led to Shashi Tharoor’s exit from government, says the media just turned her into a ‘slut’, some kind of ‘brainless eye candy’.
Dubbing as a “medieval witch hunt” the media scrutiny on her after the controversy raged, Sunanda said, “I have always been proud that I have made it alone–on my own terms–in a man’s world. And here, in one minute, without bothering to find out any facts the media just turned me into a slut, into some kind of brainless eye candy! I don’t know why people find it so hard to understand this.”
The 48-year old marketing professional said she met Tharoor two years back but had developed “closeness” in the past five months only.
“We are certainly close now, but that closeness only developed less than five months ago. I am very proud to know him because, most of all, he is a good and honest man,” Sunanda said in an interview to Tehelka magazine. She met Tharoor two years ago through a common friend.
Sunanda came into public spotlight when IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi tweeted revealing her stake in IPL Kochi and questioned the merit on which she was given sweat equity worth Rs 70 crore in the new franchisee.
Modi had also alleged that Tharoor had asked him not to reveal the names of the team franchisee.
While the controversy led to Tharoor’s exit as Minister of State for External Affairs, Sunanda, who is based in Dubai, returned her sweat equity.
—Agencies