The next Lok Sabha elections would be a battle for India’s democratic soul, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said at a discussion on his latest book Why I am a Hindu at NALSAR University of Law here on Wednesday.

The Congress party has showed “moral and political courage to acknowledge that in some places, the repeated success of the other opposition parties have sent a signal from voters that there are other credible forces” to form coalitions with.

The coalitions vary from State to State and depend on the willingness of other parties. While Congress is gearing up for the elections, there can be pre and post-poll alliances, he added.

“We have not let our political arrogance come in the way of seeing this [2019 elections] as a definitive battle for India’s future,” Mr. Tharoor told Hyderabad-based author Sriram Karri at NALSAR.

United opposition

If three parties in U.P. – Samjwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress – manage to campaign together, Bharatiya Janata Party would not win even 10 seats there in 2019. “We can stop Modi, if we keep the opposition united and if we have free and fair elections,” said Mr. Tharoor.

While forming alliances, the Congress party would not compromise on pluralism and secularism in the country, he said. “Social justice is non-negotiable while forming alliances,” he added.

Media under threat

The government has been damaging the integrity of the press, he pointed out citing resignation of several journalists and the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh. Media has not been investigating into the “massive Rafale scam” like it did with Bofors case which was lesser in scale, said Mr. Tharoor.

“It (Rafale) is being regarded as one among the stories,” he said.

However, when asked whether it was the Congress that supported the growth of BJP in India, Mr. Tharoor said, “The emergency was wrong... and I am not convinced that 1984 (Sikh riots) could not have been better handled”.

“But while both the tragedies have to be condemned, neither is an analogy for what the BJP has been doing,” Mr. Tharoor said.

Citing from his book, Mr. Tharoor said Hinduism teaches tolerance and acceptance unlike Hindutva, which is an ideology of hatred.

While interacting with students, he also condemned those opposing the entry of women into Sabarimala shrine.