BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday opined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must check whether Congress leader Shashi Tharoor needs "medical help." Swamy's suggestion was in response to claims by Tharoor on Wednesday when he said India would become a “Hindu Pakistan” if the BJP was re-elected in 2019.
"The prime minister should take pity on Tharoor, find out whether he needs medical help, and send him to a mental hospital if needed," Swamy told reporters.
"I don't know if he [Tharoor] overdosed on something. His comments clearly exhibit frustration. What is the definition of Hindu Pakistan? What does he mean? Is he against Pakistan? He appeases Pakistanis so much and asks the Pakistan prime minister to help remove Prime Minister Modi from power. He has also got Pakistani girlfriends. They are ISI people," Swamy added.
Swamy further sought the Congress's stance on Tharoor's remark.
"They [Congress] spoke about Hindu terror earlier, but that turned out to be a fiasco. The Congress leadership should disown it [Tharoor's comments]; otherwise, it'll mean they are in a state of frustration," Swamy explained.
Meanwhile, media reports claim the Congress 'cautioned' Tharoor on Thursday and asked him to exercise restraint in his statements following vehement opposition from the BJP on the “Hindu Pakistan” remarks. However, Tharoor has remained defiant in his views and posted an 'explanation' of what his “Hindu Pakistan” remarks meant.
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Swamy has been a vocal critic of Tharoor, in particular over the mysterious death of the latter's wife Sunanda Pushkar in 2014. Swamy had recently requested the Delhi court hearing the Sunanda Pushkar case to be allowed to assist the prosecution.
How the controversy erupted
Addressing an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Tharoor stated that the BJP, if it won in 2019, will write a new constitution, which will pave the way for a nation much like Pakistan, where rights of minorities are not respected.
Tharoor said that if re-elected, the BJP will "tear apart" the Constitution and will write a new one "which will enshrine principles of Hindu Rashtra, that will remove equality for minorities and create a Hindu Pakistan."