"Let Them Make Their Own Decision": Shashi Tharoor On Temple Event Invite

Shashi Tharoor said the Opposition leaders should not be branded 'anti-Hindu' if they don't attend the consecration of the Ram Temple and neither should they be seen to be "playing into BJP hands" if they do.

Amid the row over the Left skipping out of the grand consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 and doubts around the participation of other top Opposition leaders invited to the event, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said the invitees should be able to make their choice in the matter.

The senior Congress leader said the Opposition leaders should not be branded 'anti-Hindu' if they don't attend the consecration of the Ram Temple and neither should they be seen to be "playing into BJP hands" if they do.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Thiruvananthapuram MP, taking a dig at a section of the media, said, "(There are attempts at) Putting the Congress leadership in a box and saying that if you go, that means you are playing into the hands of the BJP. If you don't go, that means you are anti-Hindu. Let the individuals make a reasonable choice," Tharoor said on Thursday.