PM can wear ‘outlandish headgear’ but not skull cap, says Shashi Tharoor; BJP seeks apology

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju demanded that the Congress should apologise for Tharoor’s comments.

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has plunged headlong into a fresh row with remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi donning “outlandish” Naga and other headgear on his trips but refusing to sport a Muslim skull cap, comments the BJP dubbed as insulting to the people of the North-East.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also demanded that the Congress apologise for Tharoor’s comments.

“I ask you why does our Prime Minister wear all sorts of outlandish headgear wherever he goes around the country or around the world? Why does he always refuse to wear a Muslim skull cap? You see him in Naga headgears with feathers. You have seen him in various kinds of extraordinary outfits which is a right thing for a Prime Minister to do. Indira Gandhi has also been photographed wearing various kinds of costumes. But why he still always says no to one?” Tharoor said.

The former union minister was addressing a seminar on “Standing up to hatred, violence and intolerance in contemporary India” in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

Tharoor, who had recently kicked up a controversy with remarks that the BJP, if voted to power again, will rewrite the Constitution and pave the way for the creation of a “Hindu Pakistan”, said PM Modi shunned the green colour as he felt it was associated with Muslim appeasement.

“Why does he refuse to wear green, the colour that he says is identified with Muslim appeasement? What kind of talk it is?” he said.

Tharoor’s comments drew a sharp response from Union Minister Rijiju, who said the Congress leader’s remarks insulted tribals and people from the North-East.

“I demand apology from the Congress Party for insulting the people of India’s North East & Tribals. Shashi Tharoor described North-East people & Naga Tribal headgears as funny looking outlandish & hilarious,” Rijiju, a native of Arunachal Pradesh, said on Twitter.

I demand apology from the Congress Party for insulting the people of India's North East & Tribals. Shashi Tharoor described North-East people & Naga Tribal headgears as funny looking outlandish & hilarious.

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 6, 2018

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore also slammed Tharoor for his remarks. Taking to Twitter, he said:

Shashi Tharoor insults the proud cultural heritage of the people of North-East.

This condescension & arrogance towards the people of India have become hallmarks of @INCIndia. pic.twitter.com/vul4SOtpVN

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) August 6, 2018

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav also took to the micro-blogging website and criticised Tharoor for insulting customs of Nagas and north-eastern people.

For Shashi Tharoor, Naga headgear is ‘outlandish’ and ‘hilarious’. In his over zealous love for skull cap, Tharoor doesn’t mind insulting d customs of d Nagas n other NE people: https://t.co/WpgshY9cji via @DNA Web Team

— Ram Madhav (@rammadhavbjp) August 6, 2018

VIVEKANANDA WOULD BE ATTACKED IF HE WAS ALIVE TODAY

In his address, Tharoor said he is convinced that if Swami Vivekananda was alive today, he would be attacked by right-wing goondas (thugs).

“I am convinced that if Swami Vivekanda were to come to today’s India, he would be the target of these goondas. They will bring engine oil to throw at his face and will also try to knock him down on the streets because Vivekanda would be saying, respect people. He would say humanity is more important. We are Hindus in the Vivekananda tradition, not in the Savarkar or Golwarker tradition,” he said.

This was said in reference to the attacks on social activist Swami Agnivesh by right-wing activist in Jharkhand last month.

Tharoor also criticised the BJP-led central government for its inability to stop the increasing cases of cow vigilantism and attacks on minorities in the country.

Quoting a data from the Union Home Ministry, he said that the country has seen 2,920 incidents of communal violence in the last four years alone.

“After the BJP came to power, we have seen a widespread rise in the number of incidents of communal violence,” Tharoor said.