Netizens are not happy with Shashi Thaoor. The Congress leader has been facing heat from many on Twitter after sharing the link of a news article and pondering whether those buried in India had a greater claim to the motherland than others.
And to be fair, Tharoor had called it an 'intriguing" point of view, rather than something he personally believed in. Nonetheless many on social media platforms have criticised him. The idea, put forth by Badri Raina in an article for The Wire is attributed to someone the author spoke to many years ago.
"Dr Sahib, do you ever think about the reality that when you die, your ashes will be immersed in the Ganges, or some other water-body, and, in course of time, the waters will carry them beyond the territories of India into the sea; but when I die, my remains will be buried in our own mother earth and be mingled with it for eternity? So, I ask you, which of us has a better claim to the matrubhoomi?" the writer says he was asked by a Muslim man.
"Badri Raina raises an intriguing question: don't those whose flesh and bones are interred in the soil of India, to become part of its earth, have a greater claim to the matrubhumi than those whose ashes are poured into rivers that flow into the sea?" Tharoor wrote on Sunday afternoon.
And soon after, the critics came in. Many on the internet wondered whether Tharoor was contextually suggesting that terrorist Ajmal Kasab had a greater claim to Matrubhumi than others who have worked for the bettermnt of the country.
"Very intriguing indeed. Kasab has a greater claim to Matrubhumi than Tukaram Omble. Burhan Wani has a greater claim than Indian Armymen. Recently, Shamshad buried Priya and her daughter in the floor out of love for Matrubhumi," wondered one user.
"What Badri Raina has written is not intriguing Mr Tharoor. It is total bunkum as every Wire article invariably is. What is intriguing is your inability to realize it. Every Indian has an equal claim to Matrubhumi. But it is also true that Sanatan is the core of Bharat," commented another.
The criticism eventually prompted Tharoor to respond, stating that he was "amused' by the response. He also clarified that this was not his personal opinion.
"Amused by the Sanghi over-reaction to my posting @thewire_in piece by Badri Raina about burial. I said I found it intriguing: I didn't say i agreed with it. I value unconventional ideas that provoke thought. Unfortunately Sanghis just get provoked; thought is alien to them," he tweeted.
Take a look at some of the Twitter reactions:
