Thiruvananthapuram: Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and MP Shashi Tharoor asserted on Tuesday that being a 'Ram bhakt' did not necessarily align one with the BJP, emphasizing that Lord Ram should not be exclusively associated with the saffron party. Tharoor, representing Thiruvananthapuram, expressed that he, along with others, held devotion to Lord Ram, and any future visits to the Ayodhya temple would be an expression of faith without intending harm to anyone.
Addressing reporters at Government Law College after facing protest by Students Federation of India (SFI) activists over his Lord Ram-related post on social media platform X, Tharoor clarified that secularism, in his view, meant "pluralism," allowing individuals to practice the religion of their choice. The protestors labeled him "shameless" and displayed banners calling him a "disgrace to a democratic secular state."
Tharoor had posted a picture of the Lord Ram idol in Ayodhya with a message in Hindi - 'Siyavar Ram ki jai'. He explained that the message intended to convey his devotion to Ram and the omission of Sita's name when hailing Ram. Tharoor emphasized that there was no need to magnify the issue.
Rejecting the notion that every Ram bhakt supports the BJP, Tharoor questioned why the Congress should surrender Lord Ram to the BJP. He highlighted that the Congress, too, can accept and pray to God while embracing religion. Tharoor clarified that within the party, there was no opposition to the Ram Temple itself but rather to the specific event.
Stating that his temple visits were for prayer and not political reasons, Tharoor affirmed that if he were to visit Ayodhya, it would be on his terms. He reiterated his stance on the Ram Temple, stating that while every Hindu may desire it, there was no need to demolish a mosque to build it.
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