Conceding that he too is confused by the Sheena Bora murder mystery, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday blamed the media for overwhelmingly focussing on the sensational incident and skipping the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war victory against Pakistan.
Parrikar, whose ministry is in the midst of the One Rank One Pension stalemate, however steered clear of the controversial issue at a public function held on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan in Panaji.
"Such a grand celebration of the 50th anniversary of our victory which started yesterday (Friday), did not feature for nearly an hour or an hour and a half, when I watched television, while I was working. It was never even mentioned," Parrikar said.
The former Goa chief minister, however, conceded that he too was confused by the complexities of the alleged murder of Sheena Bora by her mother Indrani Mukherjea, a former television honcho.
The murder case and family intrigue has led news coverage of a large section of the media over the last few days.
"I was confused myself. Someone one asked me, what is the murder mystery all about, please explain it to me. I do not know if you understood it. The murder mystery is definitely news, but that was the only thing playing (on TV) all the time," he said.
Recalling television coverage of the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, Parrikar said Pakistan had then tried to take psychological advantage of India's loss in the 1962 Sino-Indian war.
"It was the first war after 1962, in which India was rattled and many, including the Pakistan army and Ayub Khan, who was dictator and the head of the Pakistan army, thought that the Indian defence sector may have been reeling under the effect of the 1962 China war and that they could take Kashmir," the minister said, recalling the role of then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who he described as "small in stature, but had incredible ability".