New Delhi, Sep 9: Shashi Tharoor, the minister of State for External Affairs commented on the government accommodation, a day after Pranab Mukherjee, the Finance Minister asked Foreign Minister SM Krishna and Tharoor to move out of the 5-star hotels as a part of government"s austerity drive.

Tharoor was not happy with the Kerala House, where he was put up.

"I need two things daily that Kerala House doesn"t offer — a gym and some privacy," said Tharoor."But I visit pretty often and meet people there."

Tharoor also said that he had himself borne the expense of his stay at the 5-star hotel.

“I would be ashamed if I was spending the people"s money. But I"m not, I"m spending my own savings," tweeted Tharoor on Twitter, a social networking and micro-blogging site.

After becoming ministers, Krishna was given a bungalow on Thyagaraja Marg while Tharoor was provided a house in Lodhi Estate.

MEA sources said that both the houses were being prepared.

MEA spokesperson said that the ministers were staying in hotels because they did not have official accommodation.

The ministers, he said, were “paying on their own and nothing is being paid by the ministry".

OneIndia News