Shashi Tharoor's criticism of India's Covid handling at Lahore event sparks BJP-Congress war of words

Shashi Tharoor's remarks at a Lahore event held last month have sparked a political storm back home. The BJP held a press conference accusing the Congress of "demeaning and discrediting" India on a Pakistani forum. In response, Congress too held an interaction with the press to counter claims made by the ruling party.

While virtually responding to a journalist's question at the Lahore Think Fest, Shashi Tharoor had said, "So we in the opposition do point out, for example, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had mentioned as early as February that COVID had to be taken more seriously than the government was taking it and preventive measures needed to be put in place immediately otherwise we would face both a health disaster and an economic catastrophe if this was allowed to run unchecked."

"Both seem to be doing rather well in the public eye, which, to some of us in the opposition in India, is still a bit of a mystery, but we don't discuss that outside India. We fight our battles at home," Shashi Tharoor had added, according to news agency PTI.

Will refer to former Congress president as 'Rahul Lahori': BJP

Addressing reporters on Sunday, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra referred to remarks made online by Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor at the Lahore Think Fest. While terming the Congressman's remarks as "unbelievable", Sambit Patra was quoted by news agency PTI as saying, "He [Tharoor] has demeaned India and projected the country in dim light."

"What was the need to discuss such matters at a Pakistani forum? There is no country in this world as democratic and just as India," Sambit Patra asked.

Patra went on to assert that Shashi Tharoor is a close friend of Rahul Gandhi and asked whether the former Congress president was looking to contest polls in Pakistan. Rahul Gandhi is already a "hero" in China and Pakistan, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged while adding that the BJP will refer to him as "Rahul Lahori".

The BJP also cited the nationwide lockdown as a timely measure that curbed the spread of Covid-19 along with India's high recovery rate and low mortality rate in comparison to other countries.

BJP indulging in rhetoric: Congress

The Congress held its own press conference in response to the BJP's allegations. Spokesperson of the party, Abhishek Manu Singhvi was quoted saying by news agency PTI, "The BJP has always responded to substance and pointed facts with 'jumlebaazi'. The BJP has always believed in rhetoric, not substance. Yes, it does sometimes catch you by the eyeballs or the earbuds when you hear it, but, within seconds, logic takes over and tells you how empty a rhetoric the BJP is indulging in."

"If somebody is praising a particular achievement or pointing to a particular area of activity in which you are laggard in India, and asking such a person to stand for elections from Pakistan is to ridicule the debate and diminish us as a democracy," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said adding, "All that is being done is to point out that you are far stronger, far bigger, far more capable country, and yet you should not be lagging behind in this parameter."

Singhvi said, "These responses might have short-lived, few seconds of utility but they actually show the hollowness of your [BJP] intellectual ability to deal in areas where you are a complete failure."

(With inputs from PTI)