In Pakistan, senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar openly spoke ill of PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah in relation to the NPC. Incidentally the tall leader has a history of blabbering such politically insensitive remarks against the PM
Bengaluru: Mani Shankar Aiyar is a senior politician. He comes as someone who is well read and very articulative.
But he is also known for his motormouth propensities. A confirmed critic of Narendra Modi, he has always minced no words in putting down the Prime Minister.
Of course, to be a critic is no crime, but to stoop to lower levels of humiliating someone, that too on a foreign soil, turns out to be cheap and an act of exposing oneself!
Mani Shankar Aiyar was in Pakistan to participate in a panel discussion. As the issue related to the NPR, a journalist asked his views on the matter. And within no time, Aiyar was at it again, taking jibes at PM Modi and Union home ministry Amit Shah.
He said, “NPR has never been regarded by Narendra Modi government as the predecessor to setting up NRC. In Parliament, the home minister has said so and there are written assurances which were given in Parliament by home ministry that it is in-fact a predecessor to that. There is a rift in the at-least articulation of it between two people who are the face of Hindutva in our country i.e. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah."
In fact, as Mani chose to mortify the top two leaders of our nation on the soil of our enemy’s, it is pertinent to note that he has a history of speaking against Narendra Modi in the same country of Pakistan.
“Foremost thing is to remove Modi”
In the year 2015, when Aiyar was in Pakistan, he emphatically replied to a question by a Pak journo on the issue of how to end stalemate in India thus:
"The first and the foremost thing is to remove Modi. Only then can the talks move forward. We have to wait for four more years. They (panelists) are all optimist and that we can move forward when Modi sahab is there, but I don't think so."
He also said, "Bring us (the Congress) back to power and remove them. There is no other way (to better the relations). We will remove them, but till then you (Pakistan) have to wait."
When there were cries to castigate him, the Congress backed him completely.
“Modi will never become the PM”
In the year 2014, Mani Shankar had also said, "Give my word, Modi will never be PM in the 21st century. If he wants to sell tea here (AICC meet), we can arrange for it," he had mocked.
A democracy thrives on healthy debates and discussions. But it should never slip into the territories of personal vilification and openly talking ill of a nationally elected leader of the world’s biggest democracy.
Last Updated Jan 16, 2020, 2:50 PM IST