Making me a Sanghi sympathiser, will continue to wish L K Advani and Narendra Modi on their birthdays, says Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that he is being made a Sanghi sympathiser in the name of wishing BJP leader L K Advani on his birthday. Gandhiji taught us to fight the sin but love (and embrace) the sinner. Ahimsa is “a positive state of love, of doing good even to the evil doer”. While good and evil are Gandhian terms I can’t easily use (most human beings are shades of both), I deplore intolerance on either side. So, I will continue wishing Advani and Narendra Modi on their birthdays, he said.

His Facebook post

I am frankly appalled by the vicious backlash against my birthday greetings to LK Advani-ji. Has civility disappeared entirely from our political discourse? Gandhi-ji taught us to respect and honour the humanity in our political opponents. It seems that now makes me a Sanghi sympathiser!

In fact Gandhi-ji taught us to fight the sin but love (and embrace) the sinner. Ahimsa is “a positive state of love, of doing good even to the evil doer”. While good and evil are Gandhian terms I can’t easily use (most human beings are shades of both), I deplore intolerance on either side.

So yes, I intend to continue to wish LK Advani and Narendra Modi well on their birthdays, while opposing what they stand for politically. My 40 years of writing makes clear what I believe in. Only those who haven’t read me would call me a Sanghi. My values won’t be discarded for them.