Tharoor's comment comes in the backdrop of plans to install a statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya.
Further intensifying his attack on the PM-Modi led BJP government, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday alleged that the trend of erecting statues and raising the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya were attempts to distract the masses from "failures" of the BJP administration at the Centre.
"The issues of Statue of Unity, Ram temple, Ram statue at Ayodhya are distractions. I would urge the public of India to move away from these distractions and focus on the realities and lives of the Indians," the Congress MP said.
"The reality is the Aam Aadmi (common man) has been suffering for the last four and half years... This suits the agenda of the government that has failed to perform," he said.
Tharoor's comment comes in the backdrop of plans to install a statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya.
Joining the chorus for the construction of Ram temple in the Uttar Pradesh pilgrim town of Ayodhya, Union minister Vijay Goel had Friday said it should be done at the earliest through any means -- constitutional, legislative, judicial or community dialogue.
The VHP and RSS have demanded an ordinance to acquire land for constructing the temple in Ayodhya.
