'Don't Say Jai Shri Ram, I'm Going To Flog You': Tharoor Draws 'British Football Hooligan' Analogy On Hindutva

Tharoor was addressing a session at the Jaipur Literature Festival with Spanish writer Francesc Miralles when he drew the analogy and discussed four ways to be a good Hindu, citing Swami Vivekananda.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor during the Jaipur Literature Festival on February 2.

Source : PTI

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, while addressing a session at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, took a dig at some people saying they have reduced Hinduism to "something like the team identity of the British football hooligan" who become violent if someone doesn't support the team of their choice.

Tharoor said that the people who have such a mindset would say, "you don't support my team, I'm going to hit you on the head. Don't say, Jai Shri Ram, I'm going to flog you".

"That's not Hinduism. That has nothing to do with Hinduism," the Congress leader added.

#WATCH | At Jaipur Literature Festival, author & Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "...There are four ways in which you can be a good Hindu, Right? So there's Gyana Yoga, which is through reading and knowledge, you find out about these spiritual ideas, as I've tried to do. There's… pic.twitter.com/gl66cNxMLm

— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2025

Tharoor, who was sharing the stage with Spanish writer and co-author of the global bestseller 'Ikigai' Francesc Miralles, discussed the way of Purushartha and the four goals of human life.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, referred to Swami Vivekananda's teachings as he said that there are four ways to be a good Hindu.

"There are four ways in which you can be a good Hindu. So there's Gyana Yoga, which is through reading and knowledge, you find out about these spiritual ideas, as I've tried to do. There's Bhakti Yoga, which is what most people do. Then there is Raja Yoga, which is interiority, meditation, looking for the truth within yourself... and finally, don't forget Mahatma Gandhi was a great practitioner of this is Karma Yoga, which is to actually worship God through serving humanity through serving your fellow man and woman," he noted.

He then quoted Swami Vivekananda, saying "the Hindu will never light the fires of inquisition". 

"There is no place for saying, mine is the only way. There is no place for saying, as some unfortunately claim in the name of Hinduism - they sort of reduce it to something like the team identity of the British football hooligan. And they say, you don't support my team, I'm going to hit you on the head. Don't say, Jai Shri Ram, I'm going to flog you. That's not Hinduism. That has nothing to do with Hinduism," he remarked.