Modi won’t be PM after Lok Sabha poll results: Shashi Tharoor

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, the Thiruvananthapuram MP alleged PM Modi has lowered the standard of public discourse and that the language he uses is not good for the country.

Related: Will PM Modi retire at 75, asks Kejriwal; no such rule in BJP, responds Amit Shah

He also justified Congress’ decision to decline the invitation for the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya earlier this year, saying the BJP doesn’t have copyright on Lord Ram.

“I go to temples for praying and not for doing politics. They are misusing the ‘pran pratishtha‘ ceremony in Ayodhya for politics. Should I surrender Lord Ram to BJP?” Tharoor asked.

Shashi Tharoor criticised the saffron party for failing to hold a substantive dialogue on issues like rising inflation, unemployment, the failure to double the income of farmers and the decline in the income of 80 percent of the population.

In Maharashtra, the Congress is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP.

Asked why Congress hasn’t named even a single Muslim candidate in Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra, Shashi Tharoor said, that “in coalition politics, a party has to contest lesser number of seats”.

He added that making concessions in the larger interest of the alliance cannot be called a surrender.

Drawing parallels between the current BJP PM and the previous ones, the Congress leader from Kerala also claimed that the BJP has failed to give representation to Muslims in the government.

“All Muslim leaders who were part of the Vajpayee era were phased out after Modi’s first term (as prime minister),” he said.

Also Read: Lok Sabha polls: Rahul Gandhi says yes to public debate invite; BJP criticises

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