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Minister shuts himself up, but not before this faux pax near Parliament

Foot in mouth: Antulay addresses the media outside Parliament.

"Maine Pakistan ke liye...Pakistan ke liye nahinâ...desh ke liye maine bachpan se kya kiya hai... (What I have done for Pakistan, not for Pakistan but for India since childhood) ...go to my village and see," said Minorities Affairs Minister AR Antulay on Tuesday, as he spoke to the media outside the Parliament House.


 
To err is human. But the veteran politician's timing was very, very wrong.

With both Muslims and Hindus baying for his blood after his controversial remarks about Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare's death in the Mumbai terror attacks, and with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh allegedly asking him to retract his statement, Antulay's slip only draws him deeper into controversy. He almost implied that he has contributed as much to Pakistan's development as he has to India's, mentioning the neighbouring nation twice in his impromptu speech. Ironically, Antulay was defending himself against accusations that he was a "Pakistani spy."