The resurfacing of an old video of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar in which he talks of treating Pakistan with respect triggered a political row on Friday, with the BJP accusing the Congress of becoming an apologist for Pakistan.
The Congress promptly dissociated itself from Mr. Aiyar’s comment but countered the BJP with a video interview of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar advising against picking up a fight with China.
Mr. Aiyar said the video was old and dug up now as the BJP’s election campaign is faltering. “It is obvious from the sweater I am wearing that my comments to ‘Chill Pill’ were made in the winter several months ago. They have been dredged up now as the BJP’s election campaign falters. I refuse to play their game,” the Congress leader said in a statement.
In the video that has gone viral on social media, Mr. Aiyar is heard saying that India should give respect to Pakistan as it is a sovereign nation and also possesses an atom bomb. If a “mad person” were to come to power there and uses the atom bomb, it will have its effect here too, Mr. Aiyar added.
BJP takes on Congress
Targeting the Congress, the BJP fielded Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar to corner the Opposition party in the middle of the election season. Mr. Chandrasekhar said ‘new India’ does not fear anyone and that the Congress leader’s remark reflects the intentions, policies and ideology of the party.
“The Congress under Rahul Gandhi has become an apologist and defender of Pakistan and its terrorism,” he told reporters.
The Congress was quick to distance itself from Mr. Aiyar’s comments and said he does not speak for the party in any capacity whatsoever.
‘Does not speak for party’
“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,” Congress leader Pawan Khera said in a post on X.
Mr. Khera too shared an old video of Mr. Jaishankar in which the Union Minister, while answering a question on India and China facing off wondered if India would “as a smaller economy go pick up a fight with a bigger economy (China)“.
“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,” Mr. Khera pointed out.
