Mani Shankar Aiyar sparks fresh row, says ‘Tharoor eyes foreign minister role, Khera a puppet'

The Congress on Sunday distanced itself from senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar

• Mani Shankar Aiyar criticizes top Congress leaders in interview
• Aiyar doubts Congress unity ahead of Kerala Assembly elections
• Congress distances itself from Aiyar's controversial remarks

Did our AI summary help?

Senior Mani Shankar Aiyar has stirred fresh controversy with candid remarks about the Congress.

In an interview with NDTV, the former Union Minister criticised several prominent Congress leaders, including Shashi Tharoor, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, and cast doubt on the party’s prospects in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

Aiyar described Khera as a "puppet" and said he is not a party spokesman. "He has been accusing me for the past two years. If the Congress party cannot find anyone other than Pawan Khera to be its spokesman, it will be in the condition it is in," he told NDTV.

According to him, internal rivalries within the Kerala Congress unit run so deep that leaders are more hostile toward one another than toward their Left opponents. "I want the Congress to win, but I don't believe it will because Congress leaders are divided. They hate each other more than they hate the Communists,” he said.

His comments have added to the backlash over his recent praise of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in which he predicted the CPM leader would return to office after the polls.

The Congress leadership distanced itself from Aiyar’s statements, with Khera maintaining that Aiyar was expressing personal opinions and does not reflect the party’s official stance.

Aiyar also slammed Tharoor, who has had his share of tussles with the party leadership for his stand on issues such as Operation Sindoor. Calling the Thiruvananthapuram MP "anti-Pakistan", Aiyar said he harbours ambitions to be the "next foreign minister".

Aiyar also said Ramesh, the Congress's communications head, has to "keep his job".

Aiyar made the remarks at a seminar titled "Vision 2031: Development and Democracy".

According to a report by NDTV, the Kerala Congress leadership had written to several intellectuals, urging them not to attend the seminar. At the seminar, Aiyar said, "I do not know whether this is a compliment or an insult, but I deeply regret the absence of my party colleagues on this occasion, which is a state occasion and therefore, a national occasion."