The Congress has largely been critical of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani for the Rath Yatra, but party MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday defended the former deputy prime minister and said his legacy cannot be restricted to just 'one episode'. The Congress MP made the remark while replying to an X (former Twitter) post after he wished Advani on his 98th birthday on Saturday.
"Reducing his long years of service to one episode, however significant, is also unfair," Tharoor said. "The totality of Nehruji’s career cannot be judged by the China setback, nor Indira Gandhi’s by the Emergency alone. I believe we should extend the same courtesy to Advaniji."
Tharoor's birthday post for Advani
In his birthday post for Advani on X, Tharoor shared one of his old pictures with the BJP veteran and lauded him for his role in shaping the trajectory of modern India. Tharoor said Advani is a "true statesman whose life of service has been exemplary."
"Wishing the venerable Shri L.K. Advani a very happy 98th birthday!" the MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram said. "His unwavering commitment to public service, his modesty & decency, and his role in shaping the trajectory of modern India are indelible."
Sanjay Hegde's rejoinder
Later, veteran lawyer Sanjay Hegde replied to Tharoor and criticised him for praising Advani. "Sorry Mr Tharoor, unleashing the "dragon seeds of hatred" (to quote Kushwant Singh) in this country is NOT public service," he said.
Hegde was referring to writer-journalist Khushwant Singh's remark, who once said that Advani had "sowed the dragon seeds of hatred" in India. Later, Hedge once again responded to Tharoor's praise for Advani and said the Rath Yatra was not an episode, but a "long march to reverse the foundational principles" of India.
"It set the stage for 2002 and 2014 and thereafter. Like Draupadi's dishonour set the stage for the Mahabharata that followed, the Rathyatra and it's legacy of violence continue to haunt the destiny of this country. From his current bed of arrows, he has not preached any Rajdharma either," he said.
The Ram Rath Yatra, popularly known as Rath Yatra, was held from September to October 1990 to gather support for the Ram Janambhoomi movement. It is largely blamed for the fall of Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya in December 1992.
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