NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday that it was disturbing to see legitimate political criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi being equated to insulting Gujarat.
Tharoor took to Twitter and said, “It’s disturbing to see legitimate political criticism of the Prime Minister being equated to insulting his state.”
Taking a jibe at Congress for criticising demonetisation and Goods and Service Tax (GST) and for ‘chaiwala meme’ tweet, Modi, at an election rally on Monday, said "Those slinging mud on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will help the lotus bloom even more," referring to the saffron party's election symbol - the lotus.
The Lok Sabha MP also criticised BJP's parliamentarians, who wanted Mahatma Gandhi’s statue to be replaced by Nathuram Godse’s.
“…the BJP MPs who wanted Mahatma Gandhi’s statues replaced by Godse’s have not been expelled for insulting either the state or the nation,” the tweet further read.
On November 15, the Hindu Mahasabha installed an idol of Godse inside their office in Gwalior on his 68th death anniversary; however, it was removed later.
The Mahasabha had also requested for land from the district administration for a temple dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi's assassin in the city, but their plea was not entertained.
Nathuram Vinayak Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi by pumping three bullets in the chest in New Delhi on January 30, 1948.
He was hanged on November 15, 1949.