He said the trend of erecting statues reminded him of the Roman empire when people were distracted from the oppression they faced through 'bread and circuses'
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday alleged the trend of erecting statues and raising the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya were attempts to distract the masses from "failures" of the BJP government at the Centre.
He said the trend of erecting statues reminded him of the Roman empire when people were distracted from the oppression they faced through 'bread and circuses' (distribution of free food and staging of huge spectacles).
"The issues of Statue of Unity, Ram temple, Ram statue at Ayodhya are distractions. I would urge the public of India to move away from these distractions and focus on the realities and lives of the Indians," the Congress MP said.
"The reality is the Indian Aam Aadmi (common man) has been suffering for the last four and half years... This suits the agenda of the government that has failed to perform," he said.
Tharoor's comment comes in the backdrop of plans to install a statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya.
Joining the chorus for the construction of Ram temple in the Uttar Pradesh pilgrim town of Ayodhya, Union minister Vijay Goel had Friday said it should be done at the earliest through any means - constitutional, legislative, judicial or community dialogue.
The VHP and RSS have demanded an ordinance to acquire land for constructing the temple in Ayodhya.
