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Ammo from Tharoor's big praise for Advani, BJP throws a ‘Nazi’ jibe at Congress | Watch
Cong MP Tharoor's birthday wishes for BJP veteran LK Advani, and subsequent defence of the ex-deputy PM's politics, earned him a jibe from his own party
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's profuse praise, tagged with birthday wishes, for BJP veteran LK Advani may have earned him yet another “dissociation” from his own party, but it has provided the ruling BJP with ammunition, again, to attack the main opposition party.
“The Congress party should rename itself from 'Indian National Congress' to 'Indira Nazi Congress', because this is Indira Gandhi's Emergency mindset and a Nazi way of behaving,” BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said on Monday, November 10.
He was reacting to the Congress saying that “like always” Tharoor was speaking in his personal capacity. Congress publicity department chief Pawan Khera had posted on X: “That [Shashi Tharoor] continues to do so as a Congress MP and CWC member reflects the essential democratic and liberal spirit unique to INC.”
But Poonawalla saw the Congress reaction as “intolerance… just for a very politically correct wishes that has been given to Advani ji who is a stalwart (and) Bharat Ratna (awardee)".
“We all maintain such political courtesies in public life, for that they have issued a fatwa against him,” Poonawala told news agency ANI, “This shows the sense of intolerance of Congress. For them, any rival is like an enemy.”
Not the first time for Tharoor
Tharoor has not been on the best of terms with his own party over his continued praises for PM Narendra Modi and the current government, which is something Poonawalla referred to.
“This is not the first time when Mr Tharoor had spoken in favour of India. In Operation Sindoor he had said that America had no role to play; in fact he had called out the lies of Rahul Gandhi,” the BJP leader said, referring to US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan by threatening them with trade barriers.
Rahul Gandhi has “dared” the PM to call Trump a liar for it.
Poonawalla also referred to a recent article Tharoor wrote, which he said “showed how Congress party and its first family is responsible for legitimising dynasty politics in Indian politics”. Tharoor made the Nehru-Gandhi family a prime example in the article, and referred to other examples and wider culture too, but did not happen to refer to any instances from the BJP.
“And now they have castigated him just for a simple (birthday) wish. It shows the intolerance levels of Congress,” Poonawalla further said.
What Tharoor said in his wishes, then defence, for Advani
Ever since Tharoor's original wishes for Advani, some social media users pointing to the former deputy PM's past.
Tharoor has purportedly been diminishing the impact of the controversial Rath Yatra that the BJP leader undertook in 1990 to demand a Ram Mandir, which has recently been built, years after the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid stood on land believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. The yatra is seen as major catalyst for how Indian politics has since shaped up, and the BJP also cites it as one of the landmarks leading up to its historic majority in 2014 and beyond.
Tharoor's argument is that “one incident” must not be seen as the definition of 98-year-old Advani's career. He also cited the 1962 China setback and the Emergency during Congress PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi's tenures.
