In an old video which has gone viral on social media, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar says that if a "mad person" comes to power there and uses the atom bomb, it will not be good and will have its effect here too.
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has again found himself in the middle of a controversy with his now-viral old video in which he can be heard saying that India should give respect to Pakistan as it is a sovereign nation and engage with it as it also possesses an atom bomb. Congress distanced itself from the remarks, saying that it totally disagrees with what Mani Shankar Aiyar said in the video said to be of some months ago.
Not leaving the opportunity go unused, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) latched on to the remarks, accusing the party of being an apologist for Pakistan and the terrorism emanating from its soil.
Amid the backlash, Aiyar said the video was old and dredged up now as the BJP's election campaign is faltering. In the video which has gone viral on social media, Aiyar says that if a "mad person" comes to power there and uses the atom bomb, it will not be good and will have its effect here too.
Reacting to Aiyar's remarks, Congress media department chairperson Pawan Khera said on X that he does not speak for the party in any capacity whatsoever.
"Indian National Congress dissociates itself completely from and disagrees totally with some remarks made by Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar few months back which have been revived today by the BJP in its attempt to deflect attention from Prime Minister Modi’s daily goof ups. Mr Aiyar does not speak for the party in any capacity whatsoever," Khera said.
Cornering the opposition party in the middle of the high-stakes general elections, BJP leader and Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Aiyar wants India to fear Pakistan and give it respect. The "new India" does not fear anyone, he said, claiming that his comments have highlighted the intentions, policies and ideology of the Congress.
"The Congress under Rahul Gandhi has become an apologist and defender of Pakistan and its terrorism," he told reporters.
The BJP leader cited recent comments of more Congress leaders to make his point. The leader of opposition in Maharashtra, Vijay Wadettiwar had said that IPS officer Hemant Karkare was killed by a cop affiliated to the RSS and not Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had dismissed a recent terror incident in Poonch in which an Air Force official died as a poll stunt, he noted.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh had suggested that the Mumbai terror attack was a RSS conspiracy, he alleged. The Congress acts, talks and behaves like an apologist for Pakistan's terrorism, Chandrasekhar said.
As the Congress did recently with Sam Pitroda, who was accused of making racist comments, it will distance itself from Aiyar but it is clear that there is a pattern to the remarks made by its leaders, he said.
Amid the attacks by the BJP, Congress hit back by uploading a video of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Pawan Khera, who uploaded the video, said, "If old videos are to be used, here is a not so old video where the External Affairs Minister is publicly advising India to be afraid of China."
Mani Shankar Aiyar in February also stoked controversy after referring to Pakistanis as the "biggest asset of India", criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for refusing to engage in dialogue with Pakistan.
Aiyar, known for his outspokenness, had also advocated for open communication channels between India and Pakistan during a session titled "Hijr Ki Rakh, Visaal Kay Phool, Indo-Pak affairs" on the second day of the Faiz Festival at Alhamra, as reported by Pakistan's Dawn.
“The Pakistanis, from my experience, have been the people who react perhaps overreact to the other side. If we are friendly, they are overfriendly, and if we are hostile, they get over hostile,” Aiyar had said.
He had mentioned that he had never experienced such warm hospitality in any other country as he did in Pakistan. Recalling his time as consul general in Karachi, he noted how everyone took care of him and his wife.
“All I ask the people [of Pakistan] is to remember that Modi has never received more than one-third of the votes but our system is such that if has one-third of the votes, he has two-thirds in the seats. So two-thirds of Indians are ready to come towards you (Pakistanis).”