‘More dangerous than Omicron’: Shashi Tharoor’s ‘O Mitron’ wordplay with virus variant

Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor said that ‘O Mitron’ has resulted in increased polarisation, promotion of hatred and assault on the Indian constitution.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took an apparent swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by comparing the Omicron variant of coronavirus with ‘O Mitron’, a term often used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at public rallies and events. Taking to Twitter, Tharoor said that ‘O Mitron’ is far more dangerous than Omicron, with “no milder variant of this virus”.

Shashi Tharoor's tweet came when President Ram Nath Kovind was counting the achievements of the Centre during the joint sitting of parliament.(PTI)

The Lok Sabha member said that ‘O Mitron’ has resulted in increased polarisation, promotion of hatred and assault on the Indian constitution.

“Far more dangerous than #Omicron is “O Mitron”!” tweeted Tharoor. “We are measuring the consequences of the latter every day in increased polarisation, promotion of hatred & bigotry, insidious assaults on the Constitution & the weakening of our democracy. There is no “milder variant” of this virus.”

The Congress party has been on the offensive over the Pegasus issue, accusing the central government of snooping on citizens using military-grade spyware. The Pegasus row, which is being monitored by a Supreme Court-appointed panel, has gained momentum after a New York Times report claimed that the Indian and Israeli governments “had agreed on the sale of a package of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear worth roughly $2 billion — with Pegasus and a missile system as the centerpieces”.

Tharoor's tweet came when President Ram Nath Kovind was listing the achievements of the central government during the joint sitting of parliament. The President said that the government considers the ideals of Dr BR Ambedkar as its guiding principle, adding that “democracy is not just a form of the government, democracy's base is a sense of respect for people.”