Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP, has accused Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha activists of vandalising his constituency office on July 16 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
“Today @YUVAMORCHABJP vandals attacked my constituency office in Thiruvananthapuram. They poured black engine oil on signs, doors, walls & gate, drove away innocent citizens waiting with their petitions, put up offensive banners & shouted slogans asking me to go to Pakistan,” Tharoor’s tweet reads.
The incident took place in wake of Tharoor’s latest statement alleging that if the BJP comes to power again after the 2019 Lok Sabha election, then the country will become a ‘Hindu Pakistan’. Victory in 2019, he said, would give Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party “all the elements they need to tear apart the Constitution of India and write a new one”.
Activists demanded an apology from Tharoor over his comments on BJP that has sparked a big political controversy. The attackers also demanded Tharoor to leave the country.
Following the attack, Tharoor said, “People had come with their concerns but you scared them away from here. Is this what we want in our country? I am asking as a citizen, not as an MP. This is not the Hinduism that I know of.”
“After today’s alleged act of violence by the BJP, even Hindus will distance themselves from the ‘Sanghi goondas'”, added Tharoor.
S. Suresh Thiruvananthapuram district BJP President has said that the incident was a protest against a wrong statement. “This protest took place as Tharoor is the Lok Sabha member from here and hence this is nothing but a natural protest because of his erroneous statement,” he added.
State Congress President M.M. Hassan and Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala have strongly condemned the attack on Tharoor’s office.
