Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor’s jab at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Uttar Pradesh government over the paper leaks in competitive exams has drawn a sharp response, with BJP leaders across the country accusing him of stereotyping the northern state.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Congress MP on Saturday shared a picture of an answer sheet with a question asking the students to define Uttar Pradesh (‘Uttar Pradesh kise kehte hain’). The answer reads, ‘Wah pradesh jahan pariksha se pehle uttar ka pata chal jaaye, usse Uttar Pradesh kehte hai' (The state where the answer is known before the exam is called Uttar Pradesh).

The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the UGC-NET examination on June 19, a day after it was held, amid a row over the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET UG 2024. At the state level too, question papers of several recruitment exams in Uttar Pradesh have leaked this year and the BJP-led state government has drawn strong criticism.

Once the post went viral, Tharoor faced severe backlash from the saffron camp. BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to X and said “This gentleman (Tharoor) frequently indulges in sanitirizing various cultures (first Northeast and now UP) with remarkably caustic word (sic).” According to Sarma, Tharoor has “succumbed to be the beguiling whispers of lunacy, his mind adrift in the ethereal mists of derangement.”

In response to Tharoor, former union minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that “sameless crass politics of shaming other fellow Indians - thats the Congress way, ably demonstrated by this self-titled Global citizen.” “It was just a few months ago, another of Cong "global citizens" Pitroda described Indians as Africans, Chinese, Middle eastern etc. Runs deep in the Cong DNA, this type of superiority complex”, Chandrasekhar added on X.

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri defended the state and said “Uttar Pradesh is not only known for its contribution to our civilisation but has also produced innumerable literary luminaries, political stalwarts & achievers.” “Ironically, it is also home to the “first family”, to which all Congress leaders pay obeisance”, he added on X.

“Shashi Tharoor is a repeat offender who had earlier gravely insulted our North East brothers and sisters by ridiculing their traditional attire as outlandish. To belittle a serious issue, implying that the state of UP is a state of cheaters is indefensible and unpardonable,” said BJP’s national spokesperson CR Kesavan. “Splattering fancy English words does not necessarily make one civil and dignified,” Kesavan added.