Choose words responsibly while criticising BJP, Congress tells Tharoor after 'Hindu Pak' remark

NEW DELHI: Congress has asked Shashi Tharoor to choose words and phraseology carefully, a day after the Lok sabha MP gave the BJP a handle with his comment that the ruling party would turn India into "Hindu Pakistan" if it won in 2019.

"India’s values & fundamentals are an unequivocal guarantee of our civilisational role & set us apart from the divisive idea of Pakistan. All Congress leaders must realise this historic responsibility bestowed upon us while choosing words & phraseology to reject BJP’s hatred," Congress Communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said in a series of tweets.

Though Surjewala did not directly mention Tharoor or his statement, it was clear whom the message was for.



Yesterday at an event in Thiruvananthapuram Tharoor said that if the BJP were to win in 2019 it would create conditions for the creation of a "Hindu Pakistan" where the minorities were suppressed.

"If they (BJP) have been able to win a repeat of their current strength in the Lok Sabha, then frankly, our own democratic Constitution, as we understand, will not survive... because then they will have all the three elements they need to tear up the Constitution of India and write a new one. And that will enshrine the principle of Hindu Rashtra, that will remove equality for the minorities, and that will create a Hindu Pakistan." PTI quoted him as saying.

The BJP immediately latched on to the comment with its spokespersons accusing him of "insulting Hindus" and then asking party president Rahul Gandhi to apologise.

"This is a shameful act for which Rahul Gandhi should come out and not only apologise but explain to us why any leader of that party, whenever they open their mouth, they speak this way," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

Tharoor though stuck to his guns and took to Twitter and Facebook to explain that his remark was on the BJP-RSS attaempts to "create a mirror image" of Pakistan

"We want to preserve India and not turn our beloved country into a Hindu version of Pakistan," the Thiruvananthapuram MP wrote.

He received support from CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury - who insisted he had said it first - and former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav.

But not anything from within his own party, with ANI quoting spokespersons PL Punia and Priyanka Chaturvedi as saying the remark was made in his personal capacity.