'Hindu Pakistan' Row: Shashi Tharoor summoned by Kolkata court

Congress leader and parliamentarian from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, has been summoned by a Kolkata court over his ‘Hindu Pakistan’ remark, ANI news reported on Saturday.

Tharoor was summoned after Sumeet Chowdhury, an advocate, filed a case against him for hurting the religious sentiments and insulting the Constitution.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Congress leader had said that India will become a “Hindu Pakistan” if the ruling BJP returned to power in 2019.

“If the BJP goes on to mark a repeat of their current strength in the Lok Sabha in 2019, then it will pave the way for the tearing up of the Indian constitution and result in the creation of a Hindu Pakistan,” Tharoor had said during a lecture on ‘Threats faced by Indian democracy and secularism’ in his home constituency.

The BJP, taking strong exception to Tharoor's remark, said that the Congress leader had insulted the democracy of India and Hindus. The party also demanded Congress president Rahul Gandhi's apology over Tharoor's statement.

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“It is an abuse and highly objectionable statement to compare the world’s sixth largest economy with Pakistan. It is an insult to our democracy and Hindus,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had said.

"From Hindu terrorists to Hindu Pakistan, the Pakistan-appeasing policies of Congress are unparalleled," he added.

The Congress, however, distanced itself from Tharoor's remark and advised party workers to choose their words wisely while exposing the BJP's "agenda of hatred". 

“All Congress leaders must realise this historic responsibility bestowed upon us while choosing words and phraseology to reject BJP's hatred,” Congress Randeep Singh Surjewala had said in a series of tweets.