NEW DELHI: Union minister of state Suresh Gopi on Friday said that it was up to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to decide whether he wanted to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), adding that the changes observed in Tharoor were a result of “understanding the interests of the people”.Gopi, who holds the portfolios of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Tourism, also remarked that worshipping Bharat Mata was similar to the worship of the goddess Earth.He made these comments while responding to PTI questions about Tharoor and the ongoing row between Kerala governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and the state government over the Bharat Mata issue.When asked whether Tharoor would join the BJP, Gopi said he could not act as a “catalyst” in the matter as it was Tharoor’s decision to make.When further questioned about whether Tharoor’s position had changed, Gopi said it was not just a simple shift.“It was a necessity desired by the people. It is a change that has come from understanding the people’s interests,” the BJP leader said.On a separate issue, Gopi spoke out against the practice of ministers in the ruling government appointing personal staff.He said he not only disagreed with the practice but was “totally opposed” to it.“That is wrong. Let them (personal staff) be paid salaries for their work. But giving them all the other benefits, that should be banned,” Gopi said.He argued that while many other pensions were not being paid, personal staff appointed for just a couple of years were receiving various benefits and large salaries, which he said was unjust.