Narendra Modi is a hero on a white stallion: Shashi Tharoor

Tharoor made the comment while speaking at an event organised by the International Chamber of Business and Industry (ICBI) in the city.

He said: "Modi is a hero on a white stallion with upraise sword saying I know all the answers and will solve all your problems. That's the style of leadership Modi incorporates. The others are coming on foot and they are saying we don't know all the answers but we will ask you what are the questions that you have and we will work with very experienced, qualified and capable people to find the answers to your questions."

When asked about the leadership of the Congress party, which is always steered by the Gandhi-Nehru family, Tharoor said the country's oldest political party has a number of credible leaders.

Tharoor said: "The Congress party has a broader notion of leadership than just one individual. There are leaders with considerable weight and credibility. When we look at some names like Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Captain Amarinder Singh in Punjab, they are all giants. We are looking at people who have tremendous track record in their own right all of these places.

"The party has people who have developed stellar reputations and it doesn't only depend upon the reputation and ability of one man. In the BJP, we have just one man and that is the Prime Minister and everybody else seems to be dancing attendants upon the one man. That is the difference I think the style of leadership that we are talking about."

Commenting on the issue of Kerala's Sabarimala Temple, where not a single menstruating woman has been allowed so far to enter despite the Supreme Court's order, Tharoor said it is a way of diverting attention from the real issues that concern people.

He said: "These issues are deliberately whipped up by certain political interests in order to distract the public from some of the real challenges facing them today in the economy. Ayodhya, Sabarimala, Ram statues are immediate answers to the questions about, for example, extortionate taxes being levied by the central government on every litre of petrol, rise of gas prices, Vyapam scam."

Amid tight security, Sabarimala temple was reopened for the second time since the top court's judgement for Sree Chithira Attathirunal pooja on Monday. 

Following the top court's verdict, the shrine opened on Oct 18 for the first time allowing menstruating women, belonging to the age group of 10 to 50, to enter the temple. However, several men and women had protested outside the temple, trying to prevent the entry of women in the shrine. The temple was closed after five-day puja.

Menstruating women were earlier banned from entering the temple for centuries as a part of the religious practice.

Two women- an activist and a journalist- had attempted to enter the Temple. However, they returned without entering the shrine. The two women turned back after the priest threatened to shut the temple if they don't go back.

Protests had rocked the state in recent times over the verdict with demonstrators not supporting the order of allowing women aged between 10 and 50 from entering the temple.

Adding on this issue, Tharoor said: "The way in which the law and order has been challenged by some is deeply deplorable when I have lot of respect for the believers."

"My party has taken a very clear stand on the issue and as a loyal member of the party, I respect that. At the same time, those who have tried to use violence to intimidate people, I think that ought to be deplored and we must respect both belief on one hand and law and order on the other. The two will have to go hand in hand in a civilised society," said the Thiruvananthapuram MP.

Throwing a bit of light on the West Bengal politics, where the BJP is now moving up to the second spot, challenging the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), Tharoor called for a revival of the Congress party.

"Lot of people have seen BJP (at the Centre) and they are dissatisfied. So they want to vote against the saffron party. At the same time, several people are thinking what the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief) is doing is not right as well.

"On the other hand, the memory of the Communist Party rule (in the state) is not very pleasant so several people, residing both in rural and urban Bengal, want the Congress party back. I hope the Bengal Congress comes in a revival mode to come up as an alternative which the Bengal people are searching for."