Sibal apologises to Anand after row over nationality

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal today apologised to chess wizard Viswanathan Anand for raising doubts about the his nationality.

The HRD minister had questioned Anand’s nationality after he was nominated for an honorary doctorate by the University of Hyderabad.

“The minister did not intend to make such a statement and has admitted his mistake. Anand has now agreed to accept the honour. The honorary doctorate will now be conferred to him at a time convenient for him (Anand),” said a ministry official close to the development.

Anand, who resides in Spain, has an Indian passport. Coinciding with the ongoing International Conference on Maths, the University was planning to honour Anand along with Harvard University mathematician David Mumford.

The ministry official said the confusion was due to a procedural problem on May 22, when the President cleared the names of individuals who were to be conferred with such honours. “However, he missed out on how important Anand was. The ministry of external affairs prepares a list of foreign nationals who are to be felicitated,” the official explained.

The ministry now plans to make a checklist of people who are getting nominated for such honours. “Now, the minister plans to put in place better procedure and is contemplating developing a proforma containing necessary information about the persons selected for felicitation,” the official said.