Shashi Tharoor Gets Bail On "Scorpion On Shivling" Remark

A Delhi court granted bail to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today on a complaint over his alleged "scorpion sitting on a Shivling" remark referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The relief was granted to Mr Tharoor on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 after he appeared before the court and moved the bail application.

The court was hearing a criminal defamation complaint filed against the Congress leader by Delhi BJP leader Rajeev Babbar, who had said his religious sentiments were hurt by the Congress leader's statement.

The case will now be heard on July 25 for recording the statement of the complainant BJP leader.

Last year in October, the Congress lawmaker, quoting an unnamed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) source, launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi likening him with a scorpion sitting on a Shivling.

Speaking about his book The Paradoxical Prime Minister at the Bengaluru Literature Festival, he had said, "There's an "extraordinarily striking metaphor", in which the RSS expressed their "profound frustration with their inability to curb Mr Modi - and the man says 'Mr Modi is a like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling. You cannot move it with your hand and you cannot hit it with a chappal either'."

Within hours, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded an apology from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over Mr Tharoor's remarks which led to a war of words on Twitter.

Mr Tharoor scored an electoral hat-trick by winning from the Thiruvanathapuram seat by a margin of about one lakh votes in the general election.

The Congress faces a crisis with party president Rahul Gandhi adamant on his decision to quit after the poll failure - winning just 52 Lok Sabha seats - and its state governments facing an uncertain future.

(With Inputs from PTI)