Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s recent remark on ‘Hindu Pakistan’ has snowballed into a huge controversy, and Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing activists protested outside his office in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

The right wing activists smeared black oil outside the MP’s office, placed a wreath at the entrance and even raised slogans asking the Congressman to leave the country and go to Pakistan. The Yuva Morcha activists, shouting anti-Tharoor slogans, barged into the office and even tied a banner saying "Hindu Pakistan" office.

Earlier last week, the MP has said during a lecture: “If the BJP goes on to mark a repeat of their current strength in the Lok Sabha in 2019, then it will pave the way for the tearing up of the Indian constitution and result in the creation of a ‘Hindu Pakistan'."

Shashi Tharoor however, was not present in his office when BJP Yuva Morcha activists protested outside. He was attending other functions in the district at the time.

Thiruvananthapuram district BJP President S Suresh said the incident was a protest against a wrong statement.

"This protest took place as Tharoor is the Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram and hence this is nothing but a natural protest because of his erroneous statement," said Suresh.

On July 14, a Kolkata court summoned Tharoor following a petition moved by lawyer Sumeet Chowdhury dubbing the leader's comments as "a deliberate and malicious act " that was "intended" at "outraging" religious feelings. 

Congress lashes out at BJP

Hours after the right-wing protesters descended on Congress office, senior Congress leaders including Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, MM Hassan and Shashi Tharoor reached the latter's office along with party supporters. 

The supporters burned Narendra Modi's effigy. 

Senior Congress legislator VD Satheeshan told the media that the incident was a show of the BJP's arrogance.

Shashi Tharoor hit out at the BJP activists for vandalising his office. 

“I don’t think this puts us (Congress) in a bad state. It shows them (BJP) to be what they are. It shows that the BJP in this place as having no answer to ideas, no answer to issues, no answer to questions. Their only answer is violence and vandalism. That I think will send a very clear message to the voters of this place and whole of India," MP Shashi Tharoor said.

He also clarified on his 'Hindu Pakistan' remark and took a jibe at BJP, saying that the party has not understood his statement at all. 

“When we are saying we don’t want India to be a Hindu Pakistan, we are not praising Pakistan. We are saying Pakistan is founded on the principle of a state for people of one religion. That is not the Indian principle and we don’t want india to be like that. The BJP apparently doesn’t understand this. We have asked the BJP a simple question. Have you given up your dream of a Hindu rashtra? They wont answer it. The RSS is very honest about this. Mohan Bhagwat has said we believe in a Hindu rashtra, but BJP,  by attacking me, is pretending to defend the constitution. Do we want India to be like Pakistan? No, we don’t. We need to defend this country’s pluralism and secularism," Shashi Tharoor said. 

State Congress President MM Hassan and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala strongly condemned the protest.

Speaking to media outside Tharoor's office, Ramesh Chennithala said:

“We are the citizens of this country, we are the citizens of India. Who are they (BJP) to ask us to go to Pakistan? How can they dictate to us? They have been in power for four years only. We ruled this country for decades and never behaved like this. Modi and Amit Shah are trying to intimidate thinkers, writers, and people’s representatives. People of India will not allow this and they cannot silence the democratic sense of this country and they cannot silence the people." 

1/2 Today @YUVAMORCHABJP vandals attacked my constituency office in Thiruvananthapuram. They poured black engine oil on signs, doors, walls & gate, drove away innocent citizens waiting with their petitions, put up offensive banners & shouted slogans asking me to go to Pakistan.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 16, 2018

(With inputs from IANS)