The on-board briefing on Air India One turned a little confusing over who was to be quoted and who was not. Initial instructions were that top government officials would provide reporters with a strictly off-the-record briefing without naming names. This did not, however, please Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who was standing in for the prime minister. He was seen whispering to foreign ministry officials after which Sharma’s comments were declared on the record. The other senior official at the briefing remained off the record. After the conference, byte-hungry reporters even managed to get some exclusive footage with Sharma.
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