Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said he was taken aback by vicious comments under a tweet in which he discussed the denial of a visa for a large pool of foreign speakers at the Bharat Summit.
"Why is it so hard for these so-called votaries of Hindutva to understand that Hindu civilisation was built on ideas of dialogue and “samvad”, and that our tradition of “purvapaksha” requires us to be able to fully understand and repeat the arguments of the other side in order to refute them effectively?" posted Tharoor, the author of 'Why I Am A Hindu'.
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The tweet in question was possibly one he made on November 13, expressing disappointment after learning "that 115 of the 315 speakers whom the External Affairs Ministry had cleared for the event ended up being refused entry to India or having their visas cancelled, apparently on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs".
Tharoor was unsure what provision of the law was applied to reject the visas. "What a shame that a proud democracy has become so insecure that it must stifle any voices it fears will be critical," he said in the November 13 post.
The initial post was possibly triggered by a video shared by Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng, where she claimed to have been denied a visa to attend the 'Bharat Summit'.
Lyng had gained global attention by posing a question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited Oslo in May. A video of Modi ignoring her loud query to take her questions went viral.
The Bharat Summit was organised by the Congress-led Telangana government. It was held in Hyderabad on November 13 and 14. Delegates from about 70 countries were expected to attend the event that proposed to discuss the Emerging Global Order, India's Strategic Response, Co-operative Federalism and Electoral Integrity.
A disappointing footnote to the #BharatSummit proceedings: when I got to Hyderabad, I learned that 115 of the 315 speakers whom the External Affairs Ministry had cleared for the event ended up being refused entry to India or having their visas cancelled, apparently on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is completely unclear under what provision of law the government has taken such a drastic step, but it is obviously impossible to reverse it since the conference concludes tomorrow. What a shame that a proud democracy has become so insecure that it must stifle any voices it fears will be critical!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 13, 2026
Tharoor's criticism of the visa denials was met with mixed responses, with a large number of comments taking objection to his remark. The general theme of the responses carried a nationalist rhetoric, xenophobic undertones, personal attacks and delegitimisation of dissent.
Tharoor, a former diplomat who worked in the United Nations as an Under-Secretary-General, was offended by some of the responses. "What kind of political culture can be built on a rejection of the fundamental principle that “I disagree with what you say, but I will always defend your right to say it”?" Tharoor posted.
