NEW YORK (TIP): India‘s Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was in town for two days on May 22 and 23. It is learnt he met with selected people at the Consulate on May 22. But he did not have an interaction with the media. This has prompted an angry protest from the Indian American media.

An angry senior journalist wondered if there was a gag order for the Minister because every time he opened his mouth he embarrassed himself, his party and his government with his gaffe. |Or, he chose not to speak for fear of another embarrassing gaffe, that too, on a foreign soil? Well, the Minister’s choosing to play the invisible Ariel of Shakespeare’s The Tempest or a more desi Bapu ka bandar in keeping his mouth shut, has not amused the media fraternity here.

The Indian Panorama editor shot off a letter of protest to the Consul General Mr. Mulay and another to the Home Minister Mr. Shinde. Both the letters are being reproduced ad verbatim for the benefit of our readers.