Jaipur: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor made a veiled criticism of the BJP and RSS on Sunday while discussing the different paths of Hinduism at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Tharoor, known for his outspoken views, highlighted the essence of Hinduism and cautioned against turning it into an exclusionary identity.

Tharoor outlined four ways in which one can be a good Hindu, saying, "There are four ways in which you can be a good Hindu, Right? So there's Gyana Yoga, which is through reading and knowledge, you find out about these spiritual ideas, as I've tried to do. There's Bhakti Yoga, which is what most people do. Then there is Raja Yoga, which is interiority, meditation, looking for the truth within yourself... and finally, don't forget Mahatma Gandhi was a great practitioner of this is Karma Yoga, which is to actually worship God through serving humanity through serving your fellow man and woman."

He went on to highlight Swami Vivekananda’s teachings, emphasizing that Hinduism is an inclusive faith that does not impose rigid beliefs. "He (Swami Vivekananda) says the Hindu will never light the fires of inquisition. There is no place for saying, mine is the only way. There is no place for saying, as some unfortunately claim in the name of Hinduism - they sort of reduce it to something like the team identity of the British football hooligan."

In what appeared to be an implicit criticism of right-wing politics, Tharoor condemned acts of religious coercion. "And they say, you don't support my team, I'm going to hit you on the head. Don't say, Jai Shri Ram, I'm going to flog you. That's not Hinduism. That has nothing to do with Hinduism."

Tharoor’s remarks come amid ongoing debates over the interpretation of Hinduism in political discourse. His comments, while rooted in spiritual philosophy, could be seen as a critique of the hardline Hindutva approach often associated with the BJP and RSS.