[《It was Tharoor's response to a question about Congress president Rahul Gandhi's "temple-hopping" that set the stage. "For the longest time, we (Congress) felt it unseemly to parade our private beliefs publicly. We followed our faiths but didn't feel obliged to demonstrate it publicly. It was partly because Congress has been a party of Nehruvian secularism that goes right back to the freedom movement," Tharoor said, adding that the party's "discretion" was used by BJP to show it as a "battle" between "true Hindus and godless secularists". "And in a country where religiosity is deep, if the debate is framed that way, the secularist will always lose. So we decided that it was time for us to avow our faith, but to do so within a framework of inclusiveness and acceptance of other faiths," Tharoor said.》]
https://m.timesofindia.com/india/shashi-tharoor-explains-the-idea-behind-rahuls-temple-run/amp_articleshow/66912981.cms?fbclid=IwAR34IfHqMQAyTcwJEsNnJ9-nRdhWK_5Uc35zzA9g-vAt_KiR65HEqxahJA0 Shashi Tharoor explains the idea behind Rahul's temple run TNN | Dec 3, 2018, 02:24 IST TNN Shashi Tharoor during 4th edition of Times Lit Fest 2018 in Delhi. (TOI photo by Anindya Chattopadhyay) HIGHLIGHTS At Times Litfest Delhi 2018, Shashi Tharoor said it was wrong to see Rahul Gandhi's temple visits as "some sort of a cynical opportunism" Tharoor acknowledged RSS's contributions in pre-Partition Pakistan, but ran it down for promoting hate and divisiveness NEW DELHI: The paradoxes up for discussion at the Times Litfest Delhi on Sunday morning were not limited to the ones Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has alluded to about Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his latest book, "The Paradoxical Prime Minister". The conversation also dwelled on the difference in Congress's positions on the issues of Hinduism, belief, government and governance. It was Tharoor's response to a question about Congress president Rahul Gandhi's "temple-hopping" that set the stage. "For the longest time, we (Congress) felt it unseemly to parade our private beliefs publicly. We followed our faiths but didn't feel obliged to demonstrate it publicly. It was partly because Congress has been a party of Nehruvian secularism that goes right back to the freedom movement," Tharoor said, adding that the party's "discretion" was used by BJP to show it as a "battle" between "true Hindus and godless secularists". "And in a country where religiosity is deep, if the debate is framed that way, the secularist will always lose. So we decided that it was time for us to avow our faith, but to do so within a framework of inclusiveness and acceptance of other faiths," Tharoor said. Defending Rahul's visits to places of worship on his campaign tours, Tharoor said it was wrong to see these visits as "some sort of a cynical opportunism". Claiming that Rahul knows well what he talks about when he calls himself a "Shiv bhakt", Tharoor said, "Well before he was photographed going into temples, I have had conversations with him about religion and spirituality. He is one of the most thoughtful, best-read Indian politicians on issues of religion and spirituality." Attending the morning session with his forehead smeared with a tilak — he came straight from a temple after paying obeisance with his mother, Lily, whose birthday it was — Tharoor also defended his praise of PM Modi when he had first assumed office in 2014. Attributing this to his respect of the mandate of the people who elected the PM to power, Tharoor said, "By acknowledging some of the positive things that the PM said, what I was doing was to lay clear what the par was against which he would be judged later… Modi came to power saying some of the most liberal things, but depending on some of the most illiberal elements — the RSS volunteers and their bigots — for political support." Tharoor also claimed even though Modi was a product of the Sangh, he sought to rise above it. "Moditva is beyond Hindutva because it is Hindutva plus Modi and the Modi element is this personality cult that has been built around him. Everything from Bal Narendra comic books to the 56-inch chest story is an attempt to go beyond the appeal of Hindutva to the larger appeal of an individual who is comfortable with high finance, with big corporations, and modern technology; somebody who can brandish a trishul in one hand, and click a mouse with the other." Defending Rahul Gandhi's visits to places of worship on his campaign tours, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said the Congress president is "one of the most thoughtful, best-read Indian politicians on issues of religion and spirituality. His whole notion of the division between the Shiv-centred culture and Vishnu-centred culture, and his ability to explain the differences between Buddhist vipassana and Hindu vipassana will blow your mind away. People don't realise that here is a guy who is quite serious about religion." Tharoor acknowledged RSS's contributions in pre-Partition Pakistan, but ran it down for promoting hate and divisiveness. "The record of the RSS involves some very good actions but also actions of hate and bigotry that had a divisive effect on our country. A man like Sardar Patel would not ban the RSS for two years in 1948 without just cause. And in his analysis, he said RSS has been spreading hatred." On Sabarimala "Congress stands for the equality of men and women absolutely unconditionally in every sphere," Tharoor said. "But as I saw the reactions of my own people — those who I represent in Parliament — and I began to see the depth of feeling, particularly among the women in Kerala, I realised that perhaps we were framing the debate wrongly. When you see it from the outside, you see Sabarimala as an issue of equality and you frame it that way. From the point of view of the believers, the fact is that they don't frame it as an issue of equality; they frame it as an issue of sanctity. I have women telling me they don't feel their equality is threatened, but that the sanctity of the temple is going to be damaged if people who do not share their devotion force themselves into the sacred sanctum sanctorum… Ultimately it is about belief. In polls on Sabarimala, 90-95 per cent public — not just Hindus— have said they are against this decision." -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
