NPP and regional parties are attaching with BJP: Sashi Tharoor

Shillong, Feb 23: Senior Congress leader and MP, Shashi Tharoor accused the National People’s Party (NPP) and other regional parties in Meghalaya of pretending to be contesting the Assembly elections on their own, and claimed that in reality, they are attaching with the BJP.

“They are trying to tell to people that they are independent and contesting the polls on their own but they are the allies of the BJP,” he said.

Tharoor, who is in the state’s capital to drum up support for the Congress, also alleged that the NPP is pretending to speak for local interests but in fact, attached itself to a party (BJP) which in so many ways has betrayed the values of the country.

“The NPP and other regional parties are daring to seek people’s votes by trying to disguise the fact that they are playing along with the agenda of the BJP, which has a “two-face” government at the centre.

Alleging that the BJP-led NDA government has no tangible achievements, AIPC chairman said but it has been trying to do is to change the very nature of what India is all about.

“Even the first NDA-led government did not dare to tamper with the idea of India as a country for all people. This was a country which we as Indians were free to be ourselves, to express our ideas, to worship in any faith…all of that was available to us,” he said.

Tharoor however said the present government at the Centre which has majority in the Lok Sabha is trying to use it to promote a narrow minded idea of India an idea based on Hindutva.

“They come to Meghalaya and they talked about being kind to Christian in other states where the BJP is ruling am sorry to say we have seen horrendous incidents involving Christians,” he said.

He also said, in Meghalaya they are opening their arms to all and in Delhi they are denying a visa to a pastor who wishes to come here to celebrate 150 years of Christianity in the Garo Hills.

“Where is the real face of this government? In Meghalaya they come here and say that you can eat whatever you like and in the rest of India they beat and even kill people on suspicious of having eaten beef,” he said.

Appealing to people of Meghalaya to deny the BJP one more opportunity to advance it’s sinister and narrow minded agenda, Tharoor said, “I urged you all vote for the Congress on the February 27 because people of Meghalaya are actually saving the idea of India for the whole country.”

“If you want a country where you are free to think what you like, and say what you like. If you want a country that will not criminalize what you choose to eat where you will not be assaulted for or who you choose to love if you want a country where you can go to whatever church or mosque or temple and worship as you see fit and proclaim that you don’t belong to any of those faith and still be treated with respect if you want such a country, the only party that believes and stands for such an India is the Congress party,” he stated.