Congress leader Shashi Tharoor while speaking at the latest edition of the Times Lit Fest on Saturday, spoke on multiple issues related from New India to Demonetisation. He also took a dig at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was quoted as saying, “4G is more important than Modiji.” Meanwhile emphasising on New India, the Congress leader said that notion must be fundamentally rooted in the idea of India that our founding fathers rooted for. While targetting the PM Modi-led government, Tharoor said, “No wonder they are talking of a New India because they made such a mess of the Old India.” “Under the BJP dissent is portrayed as seditious,” he added. According to the politician, the development cannot be the preserve of old India and that the new India cannot be the plaything of old Indians. “You can choose a new India that embodies hope or one that promotes fear,” Tharoor said while addressing the people at the lit festival.

Underlining the whole point of Indian pluralism, Tharoor said that one can be a whole lot of things and still one thing; the commonality of major differences. “You can be a whole lot of things and still one thing; the commonality of major differences. For this new India to succeed and thrive it will have to remain committed to Indian pluralism,” Tharoor said. Tharoor concluded his speech marathon while saying, “Our new India will shine but it must shine for all.”

Meanwhile, earlier in the day Vice President Venkaiah Naidu also spoke at the literary festival. Naidu said that it does not matter how many days Parliament sat but what matters is how many days it functioned. His remarks come a day after the dates for Parliament’s Winter Session were announced following opposition’s criticism of the government for delaying the session.

Speaking at a literary festival, Naidu said that the debate on the freedom of speech and expression should go on. “How many days the Parliament sat doesn’t matter, what matters is how many days it functioned,” he said. Naidu said that the philosophy of life should revolve around “character, calibre, compassion and conduct and not caste, community and cash”.