Shah hitches on to Aiyar praise of Jinnah

New Delhi

Reminiscent of the controversy surrounding a dinner meeting for Pakistani leaders during Gujarat elections and his 'neech' remark, suspended Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar on Saturday once again put the party in a spot during Karnataka campaigning by wading into the Jinnah portrait controversy that was utilised to the hilt by the BJP.

Aiyar, who was suspended from Congress after he described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "lowly person", did not agree with the demands by BJP to remove the portrait of Pakistan founder Mohd Ali Jinnah from Aligarh Muslim University and described him as 'Quaid-i-Azam' (great leader) as he is revered in the neighbouring country.

As a channel flashed it, BJP chief Amit Shah latched on to it and took to Twitter saying, "Congress and Pakistan have amazing telepathy. Yesterday Pakistan Government remembered Tipu Sultan, whose Jayanti Congress marks with fanfare and today Mani Shankar Aiyar admires Jinnah. Be it Gujarat or Karnataka polls, I fail to understand why Congress involves Pakistan."

Amit Shah tweets

"During Gujarat elections we saw how dinner meetings with topmost Pakistan officials were held to defeat BJP and now mutual love for Tipu Sultan and Jinnah. I appeal to Congress not to involve foreign nations in our domestic politics. Let’s keep the discourse civil and positive," his tweets said.

During Gujarat campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used a dinner hosted by Aiyar for visiting Pakistani leaders at his house. Modi had then accused Congress of conspiring with Pakistan to dethrone him at the Centre and elect a government which is of the neighbouring country's choice in Gujarat state.