Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday accused the BJP-led Central government of using religion and statues as part of its agenda to distract the people from its own failures.Referring to the Yogi Adityanath government's plan to put up a statue of Lord Ram in Uttar Pradesh and the recent unveiling of the world's tallest 'Statue of Unity' in Gujrat, Tharoor compared the trend with the gladiator circus during Roman Empire, where people were distracted from oppression."When you ask why a Rs 390 gas cylinder today costs Rs 970 or why the Rs 3.70 tax levied on per litter of petrol by the UPA government is up to Rs 19.48, they (BJP) talk about Ram temple, Ayodhya, Statue of Unity and so on. These are distractions," Tharoor said."The erection of statues reminds me of old days of Roman Empire when people were distracted of their own oppression by circuses...Thus spectacle becomes a substitute of the substance of the reality," he said.Claiming the NDA government has failed to perform, the Congress leader said such spectacles suit the government well as they help in hiding the sufferings of people."This suits the agenda of a government that has failed to perform. When the government is unable to deliver, it is very happy to encourage debate and distractions," Tharoor alleged."The people and the media should move away from these distractions and focus on the realities. The Indian 'aam admi' (commoners) has been suffering for the last four-and-a-half years and all you see in the media are these stories," he added.