Author: Swarajya Staff
Publication: Swarajyamag.com
Date:  February 12, 2020
URL:      https://swarajyamag.com/insta/how-tharoor-in-his-own-words-became-a-target-of-trolls-for-only-expressing-condolence-for-an-rss-man

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in an opinion piece written for The Print, lamented how he became a target of trolls for condoling the death of senior RSS leader P Parameswaran, who passed away recently, and also recounted the backlash he suffered for criticising the violent anti-CAA protests by Islamists.

Tharoor admitted that he was flayed by “his own side” when he advised Muslim protesters against chanting Islamic slogans.

Tharoor writes that when he condoled the passing away of Parameswaran, hundreds of trolls descended on his twitter mentions to brand him with labels like Hindutva bigot, closet Sanghi and also urged him to join the BJP.

Tharoor thus writes in his piece that there is no scope for a grey area in Indian politics, “So far has our polarisation gone that “Left liberals” admit of no other possibilities: one must be either for the RSS, or against the RSS. I had said kind things about a member of the “other side”, and therefore I was one of “them”.”

Tharoor adds that his mourning of Parameswaran’s demise made him a hate figure for those he has been representing in the Parliament and outside.