Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has again launched a scathing attack on the senior leaders of the party. In an interview, he called party spokesperson Pawan Kheda a ‘puppet’ and targeted Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, saying he was ‘anti-Pakistan’ and had ambitions of becoming the ‘next foreign minister’. He also took a dig at communications chief Jairam Ramesh that he ‘has to save his job’.
Infighting in Congress during elections
This statement has come at a time when assembly elections are near in Kerala and Congress is struggling with internal strife. Iyer said that Congress leaders hate each other more than they hate communists, hence the party will not be able to win in Kerala.
What did Iyer say about which Congress leaders?
- On Pawan Kheda: Iyer said, ‘He (Pawan Kheda) is a puppet of the Congress party… He is not the spokesperson of the party. They have been accusing me for the last two years. He did not consider Kheda as the official spokesperson of the party.
- On Shashi Tharoor: Describing Tharoor as ‘anti-Pakistan’, he said that he wants to become the ‘next foreign minister’. Iyer described Tharoor’s ambition as a problem for the party.
- On Jairam Ramesh: ‘Jairam Ramesh has to save his job.’
- On Kerala Congress: ‘I want Congress to win, but I am not confident because Congress leaders are divided. They hate each other more than they hate communists. He said that mutual hatred in the party is very deep.
Iyer praised Pinarayi Vijayan
At the ‘Vision 2031: Development and Democracy’ seminar in Thiruvananthapuram, Aiyar praised Kerala Chief Minister and CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan. He said, ‘I should touch your feet, Chief Minister Vijayan, and request you to pick up the baton left by the Congress. Thank you and may Kerala prosper. He described Kerala’s success in Panchayati Raj as the fulfillment of Rajiv Gandhi’s dream.
What is Iyer’s dispute with Congress?
Iyer had recently praised Pinarayi Vijayan and predicted that he would remain the Chief Minister even after the elections. This created an uproar in the Congress, because the party is contesting the elections against the Left Front (LDF). Congress distanced itself from these statements. Pawan Kheda said on X, ‘Manishankar Aiyar has no connection with Congress for the last few years. He speaks and writes entirely in his personal capacity.
Jairam Ramesh said about Iyer that there should be no doubt. The people of Kerala will bring back the UDF for more responsible and sensitive governance. They know that LDF and BJP are secret partners.
Iyer has been a former Union Minister and Panchayati Raj Minister of Congress, but his outspoken comments often create controversies. The party has suspended him earlier also. Now his new statement is embarrassing the Congress, especially before the Kerala elections where the party is trying to return to power under the UDF. Aiyar’s attacks raise questions on the internal unity of the party and show that even big leaders are struggling with internal differences.
