Country unsafe in BJP hands: Tharoor

Lucknow, May 13: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Subday said the country was not safe in the hands of the BJP government and added that the time had come to build a nation that was “productive, prosperous and safe”.

“Unfortunately, the evidence we have seen in the last four years ( of the NDA rule) does not suggest that this country is safe in the hands of the present government,” the former Union minister told a press conference here. “Time has come for us to build a nation that is productive, prosperous, safe and inclusive. We cannot have a nation built on divides,” he added. Asked about the poll outcome in Karnataka, Mr Tharoor, who campaigned for the Congress candidates in the southern state, said, “I do not believe in some of the exit polls I have seen. Ultimately, what matters is what happens when the ballots are counted on May 15.” Some of the exit polls have predicted a tight race between the BJP and the Congress in Karnataka, with a possibility of the JD( S) playing the role of a kingmaker.

“There are three parties in the fray. If it was a straight fight, the answer would have been much easier. Some seats in southern Karnataka will be taken by the JD( S). We are leaving every possibility open.

“Every Congressman or ( party) activist I have met in Karnataka has no doubt that we will be the single largest party. I saw a lot of confidence in them. If you ask about absolute majority for a party, I am afraid that we have to wait till May 15,” Mr Tharoor said. Polling for 222 of the 224- member Karnataka Assembly was held on Saturday and the counting of votes will be taken up on Tuesday.

On whether Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s campaign would help the BJP in the southern state, he said, “Some people in some of the mutts may be inclined to support him, but his campaign failed to enthuse the people ,” Mr Tharoor said. He also condemned the rightwing’s role in the controversy at Aligarh Muslim University over a portrait of Jinnah.