Delhi soft-pedals on bumps in royal ride

The Minister who had accompanied the Queen on her tour said the visit would open up new vistas in the economic field in the future.

On the reported statements on Indo-Pak relations, the Minister said that whatever had been attributed to Foreign Secretary Robin Cook had been refuted. As for the Queen `she spoke in general terms in the Asian context’, she maintained. The Minister denied that the Duke of Edinburgh made any statement in Jalianwala Bagh and said the couple paying homage at the memorial was tantamount to making a public apology. Sinha reminded that the Queen also had said that since one couldn’t alter history; the issue had better be left alone.

About the cancellation of the banquet speech of the Queen in Chennai, the minister clarified that it was the Tamil Nadu Governor who had wanted the Queen to make a banquet speech in Chennai. The TN Governor had sought the view of the Government of India on the possibility of a speech, but she was told that the Head of States make only one banquet speech during their visit and it was made at the Presidential banquet.

She dismissed charges of bias in favour of the British media.