Speaking at the Bangalore Literature Festival on Sunday, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor quoted an unnamed RSS source who compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a “scorpion sitting on a Shivling”. Tharoor was speaking about his book – The Paradoxical Prime Minister Narendra Modi and His India and noted that Modi had grown into a brand beyond the confines of the RSS.
“There is an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to the journalist Vinod Jose of the Caravan that I quote here (book) in which they express their frustration at their inability to curb Modi. The man says, that, ‘Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling, you can’t remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a chappal either.’”
He goes on to say, “When you think about it, it’s a very profound understanding of the relationship. Because if you remove a scorpion with your hand, you will get stung very badly and if you hit a Shivling with a chappal then you have undermined all the sacred tenets of the sacred faith…”
#WATCH Shashi Tharoor in Bengaluru, says, "There's an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to a journalist, that, "Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling, you can't remove him with your hand & you cannot hit it with a chappal either."(27.10) pic.twitter.com/E6At7WrCG5
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2018
Tharoor also said that the phenomenon of ‘Moditva’, which is Modi plus Hindutva, is one reasons why he was able to generate huge support across the country and rise above the RSS.
“He is a part of the Hindutva movement but he is not imprisoned by it. Because of his own personal inclinations, character and drive, he has also risen above the RSS. In my book I talk about Moditva rather than Hindutva and the rather over-appetizing masculinity that comes with it,” Tharoor added.
Tharoor also said that the key part of the Prime Minister’s public appeal was to bypass the mainstream media, which Modi felt had been unfair to him. Tharoor touched upon his analysis of Modi’s rise above the members of the Sangh and its correlation with the Prime Minister’s image as a modern, sophisticated man but also an ardent Hindu.
“He developed direct contact with the people. His Twitter account became his source of messaging… Both through his choice of medium and the nature of his posts, Mr Modi portrayed a compelling picture of himself. They have shown him as a man of action, laptop ready, financial newspaper in hand or holding a DSLR camera. Other images portray him as cosmopolitan and sophisticated. There was Mr Modi reading an Obama biography, Mr Modi in a track suit, Mr Modi in a cowboy hat. These social media images were a larger part of a branding exercise designed to achieve a visual reimagining of Narendra Modi,” he added.
Criticising the Centre for creating a top-heavy government, he said that officials who were earlier empowered now “had to wait for the consent of officials in the Prime Minister's Office”.
"As a result, the Home Minister does not know that CBI director is being changed, Foreign Minister is not aware of a change in foreign policy of the government and the Defence Minister does not know about changes made in Rafale deal till the last moment," he alleged.
Responding to the Union Minister's remarks, Shashi Tharoor took to Twitter to say the comments by the unnamed RSS source have been in the public domain for six years.
This comment (not by me) has been in the public domain for six years. RSPrasad making an issue of a 6yr old quote shows how little new the BJP has to offer the nation. As for media subserving the BJP’s desire for “controversy”, when will this “profession”develop any self-respect? https://t.co/RF8xxQLjzq
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 28, 2018