People's condemnation of Tharoor important: Swamy

After Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was summoned by a Kolkata court over his controversial 'Hindu-Pakistan' remark, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday stated that it was more important for the entire nation to condemn him.

Talking to ANI, Swamy said, "I think condemnation from the 'people's court' is more important. A man who can put the word 'Hindu' and 'Pakistan' in the same sentence and make a conjunction of that is an enormous insult to all our freedom fighters."

"So if the Congress is not willing to apologise on his behalf or expel him, we should ask all the people to condemn him and ask him to resign his Lok Sabha seat," Swamy added.

Tharoor was summoned by a Kolkata court after Kolkata-based advocate Sumeet Chowdhury, in his petition, said that Tharoor's comments had hurt religious sentiments of the countrymen, insulted the Constitution and that they were intended to create great conflict and disharmony based on the religious divide.

A case was filed under Section 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 2 of The Prevention Of Insults To National Honour Act, 1971.

Tharoor has been asked to present before the court on August 14.

On Thursday, Tharoor had stated that if the BJP wins the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it will create a condition leading to the formation of a 'Hindu Pakistan'.

Tharoor's statement drew flak from various political quarters, with the BJP demanding an apology from the Congress president Rahul Gandhi.