To the chagrin of the Congress, motor-mouth 'elitist' leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has done it again. Aiyar was suspended from the party by Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his "neech" slur against Prime Minister Narendra Modi just before the Gujarat assembly elections in December 2017.
He revisited and defended the remark on Tuesday in an article published in Rising Kashmir and The Print, saying, "Modi will, in any case, be ousted by the people of India on 23 May. That would be a fitting end to the most foul-mouthed prime minister this country has seen or is likely to see. Remember how I described him on 7 December 2017? Was I not prophetic?" Though Aiyar did not mention the slur, the date was a clear indication of what he meant.
When asked to clarify, Aiyar said, "There is a whole article. (You are) picking out one line from it and saying, 'now talk on this'. I will not be involved in your games. Mein ullu hun par itna bada ullu bhi nahi hun (I am a fool, but not such a big one)."
Aiyar's remark drew sharp retort from a host of BJP leaders, including PM Modi himself. "These Mahamilavati people — SP, BSP and Congress — all are abusing me," he said. "Not a single day passes without abusing me. This is their condition after the sixth phase of elections. But I consider their abuses a gift. I will not reply to them, you (public) will reply by voting for the BJP," thundered Modi at a rally in Bihar's Buxar region.
"So finally ...the 'Jewel' of the Gandhi family too has contributed to the 'Politics of Love' ...," BJP's national spokesperson, Sambit Patra tweeted.
Unable to weigh the extent of damage, the party distanced itself from Aiyar with Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala saying that hatred, violence and abuse is the modus operandi of the BJP and not of the Congress.
"We completely reject and condemn the remarks of the likes of Mani Shankar Aiyar and every other person who is violating the time-tested principle of self-discipline in political discourse, of mutual respect and adherence to ideas and ideology, and not to verbally abuse while fighting an election, to give due regard even to your worst political enemy as was shown by Rahul Gandhi on the floor of Parliament," he said.
Oops, He Did It Again
- Mani Shankar Aiyar revisited his 2017 ‘neech’ slur against PM Modi
- ‘Was I not prophetic,’ he wrote, mentioning the precise date of the remark that caused his suspension
- In 2014, Aiyar had said ‘chaiwala’ Modi ‘could sell tea at Cong meets’
