'Shouldn't Confront Hindu Fundamentalism As Godless Secularists': Tharoor Says At Ideas Of India

Shashi Tharoor called himself a "proud Hindu" and talked of a multicultural and multi-linguist India where anybody "could sign up for."

Shashi Tharoor while speaking at Ideas of India 2024 by ABP Network.

Instead of an India for everybody, we have an India which seems to be returning to an ethno-religious linguistic kind of nationalism, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday while speaking during the session "My Idea of India".

Tharoor, who was speaking at ABP Network’s ‘Ideas of Summit’ on Saturday, called himself a "proud Hindu" and talked of a multicultural and multi-linguist India where anybody "could sign up for."

"Instead of an India for everybody and India of civil nationalism, we have an India in which essentially we seem to be seeking a return to an ethno-religious linguistic kind of nationalism," Tharoor said.

The Congress leader said that people shouldn't be contesting the so called "Hindu fundamentalism" as Godless secularists, but rather within the prism of religion. 

"India has always been a very religious country, which is why I argue we should not be confronting the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the revival of Hindu fundamentalism. We should not be contesting as godless secularists. We should be contesting from within the prism of religion," Shashi Tharoor said.

The Congress MP highlighted the diversity of the country while referring to the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections.

"In the Gulf countries, I was travelling to, various ministers and senior officials were utterly astonished and admiring at my dad that our elections in 2004 had led to a victory of a party led by a woman born in Italy, a white person of Catholic descent, then made way for a Sikh to be sworn by a Muslim President as a prime minister in a country of 80% Hindus," he said.

However, Tharoor said, there was a dramatic transformation in the last ten years and that's where he added, "My idea of India seems to be obviously under threat and challenge."

Tharoor, while quoting Vivekananda, went on to say "The Hindu says that I believe I have the truth, you believe you have the truth, I will respect your truth and you respect my truth."

He added that this was the essence of acceptance was all about and it was a "wonderful recipe for co-existence in a multi-ethnic, mutli-linguist and multi-cultural country, which we have been for centuries before." 

The Congress MP also opened up about his entry into Indian politics after working for the UN for more than two decades and leaving outside India after the age of 19.

Calling his decision to contest his first election "foolhardy", the Thiruvananthapuram MP said it was tougher than "walking through the minefields in Bosnia" and "refugee camps in Somalia."

"When I was asked by the Congress party if I would be willing to contest, I didn't hesitate and I said yes. In some ways, it was a foolhardy answer because I had really no idea of what I was getting into," Tharoor said.

"It turned out to be the hardest thing that I have ever done. I had walked through the minefields in Bosnia and refugee camps in Somalia and I can tell you it was far tougher than anything like that," he added.