The limits to diplomacy

During the debate on a bill on encroachment in Delhi, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien told Urban Development Minister and former diplomat Hardeep Puri  to take the initiative to sort out the friction between the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and the Chief Minister. 

Puri’s reply? “Mr Deputy Chairman, Sir, in four decades of public life, I have faced many challenges. I tried to negotiate with terrorists, etc. This is going to be a difficult one, but I accept your challenge and I will try and negotiate ... I will invite both of them for lunch or something…I will try to sort this out.” To this, the Deputy Chairman said he wished the minister the best of luck with his endeavour.