Shashi Tharoor courts controversy, says 'Hindi, Hindu, Hindutva' ideology dividing country

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday courted a controversy saying the "Hindi, Hindu, Hindutva" ideology is dividing the country. Tharoor's remark came in the wake of a report which stated that an immigration officer at Mumbai airport denied clearance to an Indian student for not speaking in Hindi.

Tagging the report in a tweet, Tharoor said: "This Hindi, Hindu, Hindutva ideology is dividing our country. We need unity, not uniformity."

The Thiruvananthapuram MP's statement sparked a debate on Twitter with people asking Tharoor to desist from making such controversial remarks. Some suggested Tharoor was "in a race to outdo" Congress leader Mani Shankar Iyer to provide the BJP opportunities to target the grand old party ahead of polls. "You certainly have kicked-off the #LokSabha2019 campaign for BJP. Congratulations Shashi Sir!," a user wrote.