Netaji should not be reduced to just symbol or a hologram. He stood for certain admirable values and principles – Shashi Tharoor

Picture : Twitter / ANI

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala , Shashi Tharoor has spoken about the the Amar Jawan Jyoti furore and said the Centre shouldn’t have snuffed out the eternal flame just because there’s another flame at the War Memorial adding that Amar (eternal) means so for a reason.

Speaking to ANI on the row, Tharoor said, “You can’t snuff out Amar Jawan Jyoti just because you’ve got another flame at National War Memorial. The flame is meant to be Amar, it’s meant to be immortal and eternal.”

“You don’t destroy what is eternal, merely because of the whims of the present government,” Tharoor added.

On the recently inaugurated hologram statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at India Gate which will be soon followed by a granite one . The former MoS External Affairs and HRD Minister was quoted by ANI as saying, I grew up in an India where Netaji was honored . There are 164 institutions in India named after Netaji, all of this before 2014. No attempt has been made to erase Netaji , Similar things were said about Sardar Patel . I think we’ve have to understand that there is a political exercise at work here to somehow show that this government that is restoring the the glory of previous leaders , and that is simply not accurate.

The acclaimed author and former former UN Diplomat further told ANI . I’m glad that Netaji and Patel sahab are being honoured. We should be proud of all these people who fought for our Independence and gave us our freedom which we cherish today . But the important thing to remember is that Netaji should not be reduced to just symbol or a hologram. He stood for certain admirable values and principles which sadly present govt is abandoning.