Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. (File) Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. (File)

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday quoted an unnamed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) source to compare Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a “scorpion sitting on a Shivling”.

In a video released by ANI, Tharoor, who was addressing an audience at the Bengaluru Literature Festival, is heard saying, “There is 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’.”

#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 was, in fact, quoting an unnamed RSS leader who spoke to journalist Vinod Jose of The Caravan as part of his extensive profile on Narendra Modi before he became prime minister. The piece, ‘The Emperor Uncrowned’, first published in March 2012, captures the rise of Modi from an RSS functionary to the chief minister of Gujarat.

Tharoor is in Bengaluru to promote his new book ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’, which was recently launched by former PM Manmohan Singh.

Condemning his remarks, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded Congress president Rahul Gandhi to apologise for insulting Lord Shiva. “While Rahul Gandhi who claims himself to be a Shiv bhakt, one of his small leaders has almost abused the sanctity of Shiv Linga and Lord Mahadev by referring to chappal attack through named sources. Rahul Gandhi, you claim yourself be to a Shiv Bhakt, please reply to this very horrific denunciation of Lord Mahadev by giving apology to what Tharoor has done,” he said.

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