New Delhi, Aug 11: With senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor set to be conferred with France's highest civilian award Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, a host of party leaders congratulated him on the prestigious honour.

The French government is honouring him for his writings and speeches and French Ambassador here Emmanuel Lenain has written to Tharoor informing him about the award.

"As one who cherishes our relations with France, loves the language and admires the culture, I am honoured to be recognized in this way. My gratitude & appreciation to those who have seen fit to award me this distinction," Tharoor said in response to a tweet congratulating him on the award.

Several Congress leaders as well as Congress's Kerala unit and the state's Youth Congress unit also congratulated the MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he is in a state of "absolute euphoria" while coming to know that Tharoor is being conferred upon the highest civilian honour of France for his "extraordinary erudition and penetrative knowledge".

Responding to Chowdhury on Twitter, Tharoor said, "Thanks a lot @adhirinc. Recognition is always welcome, and your appreciation makes it all the more valuable."

Congress leaders T S Singhdeo, Pradyut Bordoloi, Mohammad Jawaid, Praveen Chakravarty, and Indian Union Muslim League M K Muneer also congratulated Tharoor.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.