New Delhi, July 12: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has come under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party for his "Hindu Pakistan" remark. Even as the BJP asked him to apologise for his statement, Tharoor on Thursday stood by his remark and also issued an explanation of the same. Tharoor had on Wednesday said that if the BJP returns to power in 2019, India will turn into a Hindu Pakistan.

On Thursday, Tharoor issued an explanation saying his statement had been "misconstrued by many". "I have said this before and I will say it again. Pakistan was created as a state with a dominant religion, that discriminates against its minorities and denies them equal rights. India never accepted the logic that had partitioned the country. But the BJP/RSS idea of a Hindu Rashtra is the mirror image of Pakistan -- a state with a dominant majority religion that seeks to put its minorities in a subordinate place. That would be a Hindu Pakistan, and it is not what our freedom movement fought for, nor the idea of India enshrined in our Constitution," Tharoor said in a Facebook post.

While speaking at an event in his constituency Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Tharoor had said that the Congress needed to win the next general elections in order to "save our democratic institutions". Describing the BJP as a force which undermines democracy, he claimed the party won't refrain from rewriting the Constitution if it wins in 2019.

The BJP hit out at Tharoor for his Hindu Pakistan remarks, asking him to apologise. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "MR Sashi Tharoor says India will become 'Hindu-Pakistan' if BJP returns to power in 2019! Shameless Congress doesn’t lose any opportunity to demean India & defame the Hindus! From “Hindu terrorists” to “Hindu-Pakistan” the Pak appeasing policies of Cong are unparalleled!"

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2018 11:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).