Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday went on a verbal rampage against his party colleagues, a day after remarking that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF would retain power in Kerala.
In a series of scathing remarks, Aiyar branded Thiruvananthapuram Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor an “unprincipled careerist”, labelled AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal a “rowdy”, and took a swipe at party veteran Ramesh Chennithala.
“I have never met a more unprincipled careerist than Shashi Tharoor who, because Congress did not make him the foreign minister, is now trying to become Modi’s foreign minister. The Congress party was built on principles, not on opportunism,” he said.
Aiyar also took aim at Pawan Khera, referring to the Congress national spokesperson as a “tattu” (pony). Aiyar was reacting when asked about a social media post by Khera, distancing the party from his remarks.
Aiyar insisted he remains with the party. “I am in the Congress. I am not joining any party. If Congress throws me out, I will find my voice,” he said.
1- ‘Not a Rahulian’
Aiyar spoke to news agency ANI on Monday and said, “I am in the Congress party, I haven’t left it. Mr Rahul Gandhi has forgotten that I am a member of the party. Therefore, I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajivian, but I am not a Rahulian.”
The controversy began on Sunday when Aiyar, speaking at the Vision 2031 conference organised by the Left government here, said that Pinarayi Vijayan would return to power in Kerala, remarks that did not go down well with Congress leaders.
Following his comments, Pawan Khera sought to distance the party from Aiyar’s statement, saying the latter had no connection whatsoever with the Congress for the past few years. Echoing that position, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said on X that the UDF led by the Congress party would return to power in Kerala.
Aiyar, a former Union Minister, is no stranger to controversies. Many times before, Aiyar’s statements have triggered massive setbacks for his own party, putting it in an embarrassing situation.
In 2024, in his new book, the veteran Congress leader asserted that the decision to retain Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, despite his declining health, hindered the party’s prospects of returning to power for a third term in 2014.
2- The ‘Chaiwala’ Remark
Aiyar was perhaps the first politician to mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a tea-seller – the chaiwala. Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he had said that the Congress would welcome Modi, then Gujarat’s chief minister, to sell tea at AICC meetings.
BJP used the comment to its advantage and launched the ‘Chai pe charcha’ campaign, which eventually became a hit among voters.
3- Suspended for ‘neech’ remark
In 2017, Mani Shankar Aiyar was suspended from the party under President Rahul Gandhi for his alleged “neech” slur against Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the Gujarat assembly elections.
Aiyar had attacked the prime minister for saying that the Congress tried to erase BR Ambedkar’s contribution to nation-building. Aiyar said the PM’s comments showed his low-level mindset.
Describing Modi as a ‘Neech kism ka aadmi’ boomeranged on the Congress and contributed to the party losing the Gujarat assembly polls.
Nine months later, his suspension was revoked.
4- Aurangzeb’s Ascension
In 2017, when Rahul Gandhi was elevated as Congress president, Aiyar compared it to Aurangzeb’s ascension to the Mughal throne.
“Did elections ever happen during Mughal rule? After Jehangir, Shah Jahan came. Was any election held? After Shah Jahan it was understood Aurangzeb would be the leader,” Aiyar said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to respond, saying that Aiyar’s remarks prove that the Congress has accepted itself as a party run by a family and that the people don’t want to be ruled by Aurangzeb.
5- Chinese Invasion
In May 2024, in the middle of the Lok Sabha election campaign, Aiyar sparked a row when he said that the “Chinese allegedly invaded India” in October 1962. The BJP slammed the controversial remark, calling it a brazen attempt at revisionism.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had posted on X (then Twitter) that Aiyar had subsequently apologised. “Allowances must be made for his age,” Rameshs said.
Who is Mani Shankar Aiyar?
In March 2025, Aiyar was at it again. He sparked a row by questioning former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s academic credentials and suitability for leadership. In an interview, Aiyar alleged that Rajiv Gandhi failed at Cambridge and Imperial College London. Aiyar later claimed the BJP took a 50-second clip from a 2-hour interview in which he called Gandhi an “excellent prime minister”.
I have never met a more unprincipled careerist than Shashi Tharoor who, because Congress did not make him the foreign minister, is now trying to become Modi’s foreign minister.
Eighty-four-year-old Mani Shankar Aiyar is a veteran Congress leader who has been an MP and a union minister. Aiyar is also a former diplomat and served in the Indian Foreign Service before entering politics
Aiyar is often referred to as a close associate of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He served as Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and later for Panchayati Raj in the United Progressive Alliance government led by Manmohan Singh.
(With agency inputs)
