Breaking her silence over her Rs 70-crore stake in the Kochi IPL team and her relationship with minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor, Sunanda Pushkar said here that she felt ?insecure and vulnerable? and that she thought she would be ?protected better.?
Speaking to The Indian Express here, the city she has lived in for the past 10 years, Pushkar said: ?I am unsure of the situation and the mess it has created…I thought I would be protected better.? When asked what she meant by ?being protected better,? she did not elaborate. The Indian Express spoke to Pushkar as she?s being transformed from no one special in Dubai?s social scene to the biggest buzz on the city?s party/gossip circuits. ?I have been inundated with calls from the press,? Pushkar said. ?I?m tired of phone calls,? she said, adding she was ?worried about her son?s safety as well.?
She has issues with the media. IANS quoted Pushkar as saying the media ?was obsessively focusing on her personal life? and the suggestion that she was a ?front? for Tharoor was ?insulting.? Some Dubai residents said the description of her as a spa?or a beauty salon-owner? was off the mark. Her principal professional activity in Dubai recently has been her employment as a sales manager in Tecom Investments.
Tecom Investments is a subsidiary of the Dubai government-owned Dubai Holdings. Started in 2005, it is responsible for running Dubai?s business parks. Included in these are the Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City. Companies based in the Tecom Investment cluster face no tax obligations and no restrictions on repatriation of capital or dividend.
Pushkar came here from Canada, where she was formerly resident, with her son from her first marriage. She worked there from 2005 until early this year. Colleagues of Pushkar say she often spoke about her ?high contacts? in India. Those who know her say ?over the last three months,? Pushkar ran ?secretarial duties? for Tharoor and travelled with him.