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Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader, and Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram has lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre.
Tharoor took to twitter to slam the BJP government after America’s top spymaster told United States lawmakers that there is a strong possibility of communal violence in India if the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party stresses on Hindu nationalist themes ahead of the general election in May.
What a shame for our country when US Intelligence warns that our ruling party’s “Hindu-nationalist campaign” could be“a signal to incite low-level violence to animate their supporters”. We need a #BehtarBharat where hate is not promoted by those in power. https://t.co/jsV2fGv7ru
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 30, 2019
“Parliamentary elections in India increase the possibility of communal violence if Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stresses Hindu nationalist themes,” Coats reportedly told members of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Coats made this assessment with the assistance of a few other prominent members, including CIA Director Gina Haspel, who has just returned from a trip to India, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Robert Ashley.
“BJP policies during Modi’s first term have deepened communal tensions in some BJP-governed states, and Hindu nationalist state leaders might view a Hindu-nationalist campaign as a signal to incite low-level violence to animate their supporters,” Coats said in his written statement.
“Increasing communal clashes could alienate Indian Muslims and allow Islamist terrorist groups in India to expand their influence, Coats warned ahead of the general election.
The five-year term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ends in May.
