BJP hits back at Tharoor, asks Rahul Gandhi to apologise

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 12

The BJP on Thursday lashed out at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his recent statement that if the BJP returned to power in 2019 it would rewrite the Constitution and lead to the “creation of Hindu Pakistan”.

Asking Congress president Rahul Gandhi to apologise for Tharoor’s remarks, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, in a no-holds-barred attack, said it was time they stopped “hating India and Hindus” and “instilling fear among people of the country”.

Terming Tharoor’s statement as an attempt at defaming and demeaning India, Patra said: “I want to warn Rahul Gandhi this is not a healthy way of practising politics. The country demands an answer why your party is constantly denigrating this beautiful country.”

“Stop this fear-mongering. You are constantly instilling fear in the minds of people. It is shameful to denigrate your own country’s democracy,” Patra said, asking Gandhi to apologise for the statements by Congress leaders.

Claiming that Gandhi had expressed regret for visiting temples during the election campaign, he asked him to “stop this drama of wearing the sacred thread”.

To Tharoor, Patra said: “You call yourself an educated and erudite spokesperson of the Congress. Love Pakistan as much as you can but do not hate India and demean its democracy.”

“Shashi Tharoor says India will become a ‘Hindu Pakistan’ if the BJP returns to power in 2019. He is the same person who called Indians cattle class and is now cattle-classing the entire India.”

The RSS leadership also criticised Tharoor for his comments.