Fake Graphic Misquotes Shashi Tharoor's 'Modi Like A Scorpion On A Shivling' Jibe

A graphic purported to be from Hindi news channel Aaj Tak attributing a quote to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is fake. The graphic has been photoshopped with Hindi text that misquotes Tharoor's recent remarks on the prime minister.

The fake graphic has a picture of Tharoor and includes text in Hindi which loosely translates as, "If I have to hit a chappal (slipper) on a Shivling to remove Narendra Modi, I would hit it,"

Click here to view an archived version of the post.

A variation of the same graphic has a picture of Congress President Rahul Gandhi with the exact same line.

क्या ऐसे लोग होंगे देश का भविष्य,

क्या ऐसे लोगो को 2019 में जनता जिताएगी ?

चौकीदार चोर कहने वालों को जनता चुनेगी क्या ? #Retweet कर लोगो को जागरूक कीजिये pic.twitter.com/BfOebsH6e6

— Aman Awasthi (@A_Man4BJP) October 30, 2018

(Click here to view an archived version of the tweet.)

The fake graphic is now being shared on Facebook groups.

Shashi Tharoor’s comments on Narendra Modi at the recently concluded Bangalore Literature Festival on October 28, 2018 have irked the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi supporters.

However, the Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram was quoting an article written by journalist Vinod Jose in the magazine The Caravan in 2012 when Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat.

Tharoor's quote at the event is verbatim transcribed below.

“There's an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) source to the journalist Vinod Jose of the Caravan, which I quote here. In which they express their frustration with their inability to curb Mr. Modi. And the man says, Mr. Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling, you cannot remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a chappal either.” Shashi Tharoor

#WATCH Shashi Tharoor in Bengaluru, says, "There's an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to a journalist, that, "Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling, you can't remove him with your hand & you cannot hit it with a chappal either."(27.10) pic.twitter.com/E6At7WrCG5

— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2018

ALSO READ: “Modi Like A Scorpion On A Shivling”: Who Did Shashi Tharoor Quote?