Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks on Rajiv Gandhi 'peak of frustration': Ashok Gehlot says 'only a crazy person would say that'

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. (File photo: PTI)

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Friday termed the remarks by the former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar regarding former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as those by a "sarfira insan (crazy person)".

Terming the comments as "peak of frustration", Gehlot said only a "crazy person" would say such things about Rajiv Gandhi.

"Frustration ki parakashtha hai. Isiliye maine kaha ye koi sarfira aadmi hi bol sakta hai. Agar itna zyada frustration aa chuka hai, toh phir who vyakti kya bolta hai usko khud samajh mein nahi aata hai. Isliye maine kaha koi sarfira aadmi hi aisi bhasha bol sakta hai Rajiv Gandhi ke baare mein. (This is the peak of frustration. That is why I said that only a crazy person could say this. When there is so much frustration, the person speaking himself does not understand what he is speaking. That is why I said that only a crazy person can say such words about Rajiv Gandhi)," Gehlot said speaking to reporters on Friday.

In a recent interview to a YouTube channel, Aiyar pointed to Rajiv Gandhi's poor academic performances during his time at Cambridge University and Imperial College in London to suggest that he never thought he could become the Prime Minister at the time.

"When Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister, everyone thought… I thought, how could a person who was an airline pilot, and had failed twice, become the Prime Minister?" Aiyar said in the interview.

"I studied with him at Cambridge, where he had failed. Failing at Cambridge University is very difficult – and instead easy to get first class – because the university, to protect its image, tries to ensure that everyone at least passes. But despite that, Rajiv Gandhi failed. After that, he went to Imperial College in London, and he failed there as well. Then I thought, how can such a person become the Prime Minister of the country?" he added.

Responding to another question regarding his future in the Congress party, and whether he would be willing to mentor Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Aiyar said that he had been ready to mentor Rahul Gandhi for the past 20 years, "but he does not want it".

Aiyar further said that the present Congress is not the party of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi. When Sonia Gandhi became Congress president, everyone thought termed her a "foreigner" and an outsider. However, she proved to be an enigmatic personality who drew different voices from the Opposition who would otherwise never have thought of aligning with the Congress.

"Today, Congress lacks the charisma of such a leader... a binding force that would draw people towards the party. Which is why I would suggest that Congress should stoop to conquer," he added.