JOIN USCongress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar stoked a fresh row during a panel discussion on a Pakistani news channel that removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was necessary for Indo-Pak peace talks to move forward.
Several BJP leaders and even that of Congress ally RJD expressed outrage at Aiyar’s remarks made during a panel discussion on Dunya TV earlier this month.
Aiyar sought to clear the air contending that the entire controversy was borne out of “complete distortion” of his comments.
Responding to a question during a panel discussion on Dunya TV, Aiyar said, “You need to remove Modi, and bring the Congress otherwise talks will not move forward. (Inko hatayen, hame layen)”.
BJP seized upon the comments and demanded a response from Congress President Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.
“Some people are behaving and conducting themselves as propagandists for IS and Taliban,” BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said at a BJP briefing when asked to comment on Aiyar’s remarks. Union Ministers Najma Heptullah and Prakash Javadekar also condemned the Congress leader’s remarks and so did RJD leader Manoj Jha.
As controversy raged over his remarks, Aiyar initially refused to comment on the matter, but later shot off a letter to the Congress leadership clarifying his remarks.
After initial reservations, Congress appeared to support Aiyar.
“I have a letter with me written by Aiyar in which he categorically denies saying anything like that. So there is no question of distancing from it,” Congress spokesman Tom Vaddkan told reporters here.