Former Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar has clarified a social media post that suggested he was ending his 18-year stint in public service. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader deleted the initial post and issued a new statement, saying it was written by an intern and had caused confusion.

In the initial post on social media platform X, Chandrasekhar said, "Today curtains down on my 18-year stint in public service... I certainly didn't intend to end my 18 years of public service as a candidate who lost an election, but that's how it's turned out."

However, in a new post, Chandrasekhar explained that his 18-year stint as a Member of Parliament and three years as Minister of State had come to an end. He clarified that he would continue to work as a BJP karyakarta (worker) and support the party.

"A tweet - tweeted by a new young intern in my team - thanking everyone for their inspiration and support during these 18 years of public service as MP, has created some confusion among a section of people about my future political work," the new post on X said.

It further said that to avoid any further complexities on this, the earlier tweet stands deleted.

The clarification came after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor responded to Chandrasekhar's initial post, encouraging him to continue contributing to public service. 

Tharoor wrote: "As someone who discussed various issues with you during your stint in government, I have no doubt that there is much more you can contribute to our  country through public service... Elective office is only one path (and you are young enough to have another crack at that too!) All the best for the future."

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Shashi Tharoor faced a tough contest from Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Chandrasekhar lost to Congress's three-time MP in a very tight race from Thiruvananthapuram. Tharoor won by 16,077 votes.