Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said that if the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) leads to the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), then Pakistan's founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah's victory is complete.
When asked about his reported remark that 'CAA implementation would be fulfillment of Mohammed Ali Jinnah's two-nation theory, the Thiruvannanthpuram MP said, "I would not say Jinnah has won but he is winning."
"If CAA would lead to NPR & NRC, that would pursue the same line. If that happens, you can say that Jinnah's victory is complete. From wherever Jinnah is, he would say he was right that Muslims deserve a separate nation because Hindus can't be just towards Muslims," he further added.
On Saturday, speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor had termed Savarkar the first advocate of the two-nation theory as he proposed the idea three years ahead of Muslim League passing the Pakistan resolution.
Speaking at a panel discussion during the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor said, "The first advocate of the two-nation theory was actually VD Savarkar, as head of Hindu Mahasabha, who called upon India to recognise Hindus and Muslims as two separate nations, three years before Muslim League passed the Pakistan resolution in Lahore."
BJP Karnataka slammed the Tharoor on Twitter for calling Savarkar as the first advocate of two-nation theory. The party wrote, "Stop your lies right here, CONgi @ShashiTharoor. How low will you stoop to divide the Nation?"
"The two-nation theory was first used by Syed Ahmed Khan in 1867. It was the result of the Hindu-Urdu controversy. Veer Savarkar was born in 1883," they added.
(With inputs from ANI)