'One Poll Result Gave Power To Kill Anyone?': Shashi Tharoor's Dig At BJP Over Lynching Deaths

In another veiled attack on the Modi-led BJP dispensation at the Centre, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday asked if one election result can give people power to do anything and kill anyone in the name of God. In reference to a series of recent mob lynching deaths, Tharoor said it is an insult to Hinduism and Lord Rama that people are being killed using his name.

Questioning the status of the country in the last six years, the Congress leader expressed his anguish over the spike in incidents of lynching deaths since 2014, the year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge of the office. Tharoor, who is a strong critic of the Modi government, added he is a Hindu but not of that kind which lead someone to force people to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and lynch to deaths.

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"Is this our Bharat? Is this what Hindu Dharam says? I am a Hindu but not of this kind. Also, while killing people, they are asked to say 'Jai Sri Ram'. It is an insult to Hindu Dharma. It is an insult to Lord Ram that people are being killed using his name," Tharoor was quoted as saying while addressing an event in Pune.

Shashi Tharoor: Is this our Bharat? Is this what Hindu Dharam says? I am a Hindu but not of this kind. Also, while killing people, they are asked to say ‘Jai Sri Ram’. It is an insult to Hindu Dharma. It is an insult to Lord Ram that people are being killed using his name. pic.twitter.com/30FyKel2aO

— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2019

To elaborate, he gave a mention about some of the recent lynching deaths, including that of Mohsin Shaikh, Mohammed Akhlaq, Pehlu Khan and Tabrez Ansari, all of whom were victims of religious hate crimes in different parts across India.

"It started with the killing of Mohsin Shaikh in Pune. Then, Mohammed Akhlaq was killed saying he is carrying beef. But it was reported later that it was not beef. Even if it was beef, who gave anyone the right to kill a person?" Tharoor questioned.

On 2017 Alwar mob-lynching case, the Congress leader said, "Pehlu Khan had the licence to carry cow in lorry for dairy farming, but he was also lynched to death". Tabrez Ansari, the latest victim of these ghastly religious attacks, was also beaten up mercilessly and forced to chant Jai Shree Ram, Tharoor stated.

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The Thiruvananthapuram MP further said, "A 15-year-old boy Junaid Khan was stabbed to death in a train".

On the idea of inclusive India, Tharoor said, "When we talk of inclusive India, we talk of freedom struggle and the Constitution which is equal for everyone. Inclusive India is for all, irrespective of their religion, language, colour and race".

"I have written a book 'Why I am a Hindu' to make people understand that those who are defaming Hindu religion in the name of Hindutva, they are doing so because it is their political ideology and has nothing to do with Hindu Dharma," the Congress leader said.

"Inclusive India does not mean that we only work for the minority. We work for the minority because Mahatma Gandhi had taught us that it is our duty to help and guide those who belong to weaker sections of the society," he added.