Tharoor, Pakistan singing the same tune: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday lashed out at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor after the latter expressed disappointment over External Affairs Sushma Swaraj's speech at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "Tharoor's comment was not only against the tradition of this country but seems to be along the lines of Pakistan's tune. The entire country stands in unison whenever an issue is raised at the United Nations. However, Tharoor didn't support what our Foreign Minister had said on Saturday and condemned it. Mr. Tharoor, who used the word 'Hindu Pakistan' in the past as well, seems, to be standing with Pakistan today."

Earlier, Tharoor had said that Swaraj's speech gave the sense of being directed towards the BJP, rather than constructing a positive image of India.

"We get the sense that everything is about the political environment in India. This was a speech aimed at BJP voters and sending out a message to them particularly on the subject of Pakistan, rather than constructing a positive and constructive image of India in the world," he told ANI.

Claiming that the Congress party has lost its credibility to represent the nation as a whole, Trivedi demanded a public apology from Tharoor on his comment.

"The thinking of the Congress party has become completely distorted. Don't they really understand the difference between a political opposition and opposing the entire country? This is not an isolated case, after all. The Congress party and Pakistan are talking with the same intent, language, and style for a long time," he said.

Trivedi also mocked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for undertaking the Mansarovar Yatra in August this year, terming it to be "nothing but a farce."

"A news has emerged that three Congress leaders have been expelled from the party for raising slogans like 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Bam Bam Bhole'. It is categorically that Rahul Gandhi's entire projection of being a Shiva devotee was a farce and he has shown his true colours," he claimed.