Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday went on a rampage against his own party on a series of issues, including the upcoming elections in Kerala, and lambasted several of his party colleagues, including Pawan Khera and Shashi Tharoor.
It all began on Sunday, when Aiyar praised the Kerala government during an event in Thiruvananthapuram and opined that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan would return to power in the state, headed for elections in few months.
What followed was a series of rebuttals from Congress and fresh ammo from the veteran leader, famously known for his tryst with controversies.
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Without mincing words, Aiyar on Monday called Tharoor an "unprincipled careerist", labelled Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal a "rowdy", and Pawan Khera "a tattu".
How Aiyar vs Congress began?
During an even, Vision 2031 conference, organised by the Pinarayi Vijayan government, Aiyar said the Left government would return to power in Kerala. He later cited the "list of achievements and projects" of the current government and "the divisions" in Congress behind his opinion.
{{/usCountry}}During an even, Vision 2031 conference, organised by the Pinarayi Vijayan government, Aiyar said the Left government would return to power in Kerala. He later cited the "list of achievements and projects" of the current government and "the divisions" in Congress behind his opinion.
{{/usCountry}}The remark didn't go well with the Congress, which is all geared up to wrest Kerala from the Left, with Pawan Khera distancing the party from Aiyar's statement. He also said that Aiyar had no connection with the Congress for the past few years, adding Aiyar "speaks and writes purely in his personal capacity."
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Aiyar lambasts at Congress leaders
A day after praising the Left government, Aiyar went on a verbal rampage against his party members. While speaking to NDTV, Aiyar called Khera a "puppet of the Congress".
"He is a tattu, a puppet of the Congress. He is not a spokesman," Aiyar said. He further alleged that Khera was an inferior IAS officer who later joined the Congress.
On Tharoor, Aiyar said he never met a more "unprincipled careerist" than Tharoor.
"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," PTI quoted him as saying.
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Hitting out at KC Venugopal, he said, "There are Congress leaders whom I greatly admire. Then there are others like K C Venugopal whom Rahul Gandhi admires."
He also took a dig at Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, saying he lost elections twice and that he doesn't have the right to criticise Aiyar.
"Why are you asking me about Ramesh Chennithala's estimation of himself? He has twice lost elections. I don't think he has the right," Aiyar told PTI.
Earlier in the day, he also took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying he is a "Gandhian, not Rahulian".
"I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajivian, but I am not a Rahulian," he told ANI.