Key Points

Tharoor made the remarks after the Supreme Court reportedly asked a BJP leader to consider withdrawing a defamation case filed against him.

"The problem in our system is that too many frivolous cases are allowed to function, and then the process itself becomes the punishment. Is the judiciary's time spent on worthwhile cases, or are many of our judges wasting a significant amount of time on frivolous cases often pursued for political motives?" he asked while speaking to mediapersons in Mumbai.

The defamation case in question was linked to a reference Tharoor had made in a book, which quoted a 2011 article referencing a statement by an RSS figure.

"I wasn't targeting PM Modi. I wasn't targeting anyone. I had written a book in which I had quoted an article published in 2011, which in turn quoted a statement by an individual in those days in the RSS, who subsequently rehabilitated in the BJP and served as the in-charge of the BJP in eastern UP," he told reporters in Mumbai.

He added that the case had been filed against him six years later, saying, "I was quoting a quote. So it was not surprising that the Court said to drop the case."

Tharoor today refused to comment on party leader Rahul Gandhi's endorsing US President Donald Trump's 'dead economy' remark about India and said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha may have had his "own reasons" for saying so.

Speaking to the mediapersons, Tharoor said, "I don't want to comment on what my party leader has said. He has his reasons for saying so. My concern is that our relationship with the US, as a strategic and economic partnership, is important for us. We are exporting around 90 billion worth of goods to America. We can't be in a position to lose that or have it diminish significantly."

- ANI