Govt beginning to limit notion of liberty, alleges Tharoor

The government is "severely beginning" to limit the notion of liberty that is mentioned in the Constitution by "intruding into people's bedrooms, kitchens and dining rooms", says Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.
"It is wrong for the government to intrude into people's bedrooms, kitchens and dining rooms.
"It is actually severely beginning to limit the notion of liberty that is mentioned in our Constitution as one of its first purposes," the Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram told PTI in an interview.
On the surgical strikes, the former Minister of State for External Affairs said these have "relieved a lot of pent-up frustration that had been mounting about the perception that Pakistan was repeatedly hitting us getting away with impunity".

He, however, termed as an "unfortunate" aspect the "chest thumping and triumphalism from the ruling party" on the strikes.
He also said that under this government "we are hearing of a version of nationalism that seeks to promote a narrow-minded form of bigotry as a form of nationalism which is actually a betrayal of the sense of the nation as one that incorporates everyone".

"We are told that we must take pride in certain things. But I take pride in an India that absorbs, embraces and that is inclusive and not an India that is narrow-minded, divisive and that which excludes others," he said.

In such a scenario, he said, it won't be long before the Narendra Modi government loses its mandate.
"People want actual results on the ground. They have been promised jobs and 'acche din' which are not coming. There is a clear message coming to the government that its days are numbered," he said.
On the prospects of Congress, he said, "I see Congress coming back to power in 2019 perhaps not alone but with others.
"It is very clear that this government is not fulfilling the promises that led to it being elected."
According to Tharoor, the Indian voters are getting more and more impatient with "slogans and speeches".

"Just as the Bible says man cannot live by bread alone, the Indian voters are saying 'we cannot live by slogans, speeches or sound bites alone'," he said.