Bengaluru, Oct 28: Tharoor said, "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'."

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’.”

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.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.