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All Congress leaders must choose their words carefully to reject the BJP’s hatred, the main opposition party said on Thursday following Shashi Tharoor’s comment that India will become a Hindu Pakistan if the saffron outfit regains power next year. “Modi Govt thrives upon an unprecedented atmosphere of division, bigotry, hatred, intolerance and polarisation for last four years. Congress, on the other hand, represents India’s civilisational values of pluralism, diversity, compassion and harmony between faiths and ethnicities,” senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a series of tweets. “India’s values and fundamentals are an unequivocal guarantee of our civilisational role and set us apart from the divisive idea of Pakistan. All Congress leaders must realise this historic responsibility bestowed upon us while choosing words and phraseology to reject BJP’s hatred,” he added. Tharoor said during an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday that the BJP will “tear apart the Constitution of India and write a new one”, which will “enshrine the principles of Hindu Rashtra, that will remove equality for minorities.” Tharoor defends comment The member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram defended himself and said he was “repeating what is on record” from the ruling party and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. “I don’t see what exactly I need to apologise for the BJP’s point of view ... If they are no longer interested in the idea of Hindu Rashtra they must admit. Until they do so, how can one apologise for reflecting their point accurately? Tharoor questioned. BJP demands apology The BJP criticised Tharoor’s statement and demanded Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s apology for its leader’s comment. “Congress was responsible for the creation of Pakistan because of its ambitions yet again it has gone ahead to demean India and defame Hindus of India,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said while speaking to news agency ANI. Union minister and BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore called the Congress MP’s comment “pure hallucination”. “I think this is withdrawal symptoms of the fact that neither they are in power nor do they see power coming to them again. It’s Congress that has infringed our Constitution and freedom of our citizens,” Rathore said. Former vice-president Hamid Ansari said Tharoor has a “right to make his own judgement”. “I haven’t read what he has said. He is a learned man whatever he says will be well considered,” Ansari was quoted as saying by ANI. Source: Hindustan Times