"Will Kick His Backside": MS Aiyar, Unfiltered, Slams Congress Leader

Mani Shankar Aiyar is not backing down. The Congress veteran, whose remarks often leave the party red-faced, has responded sharply after the Congress leadership distanced itself from his praise of Kerala Chief Minister and Left leader Pinarayi Vijayan.

Aiyar slammed Pawan Khera, chairman of the All India Congress Committee's Media and Publicity Wing, after the latter said that the former Union minister has had no connection with the Congress for the past few years and speaks and writes in his personal capacity.

Asked if he is still in the Congress, Aiyar told news agency ANI, "I am in the Congress party, I haven't left it." He then added a scathing barb aimed at Khera. "If Pawan Khera is going to expel me, I will happily go outside and kick his backside after I have left."

Aiyar also said that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has not sent him any expulsion letter.

Aiyar was suspended from the Congress in 2017 over a derogatory remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A year later, the suspension was revoked, but he was not given any organisational role. Since then, he has made several remarks that have embarrassed the party, forcing it to clarify that the remarks don't reflect the Congress's stand.

Aiyar dropped a bombshell by praising Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan at a seminar in Thiruvananthapuram months ahead of the state polls in which the Congress will take on the Left.

A former Panchayati Raj Minister, Aiyar said Kerala tops the chart when it comes to Panchayati Raj and has fulfilled former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's dream. "Therefore, I must fall at your feet, Chief Minister Vijayan, and request you to pick up the baton that the Congress has dropped. Thank you and may Kerala prosper," he said.

The Congress responded swiftly. Khera said in a post on X, "Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar has had no connection whatsoever with the Congress for the past few years. He speaks and writes purely in his personal capacity."

The Congress's communications head, Jairam Ramesh, shared Khera's post and added, "Let there be no doubt. The people of Kerala will bring the UDF back for more responsible and responsive governance. They also know LDF and BJP are covert partners."

Earlier, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, 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 said.

To a question on the Congress's prospects in Kerala, Aiyar said, "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."

Aiyar's remark drew criticism from Congress leaders in Kerala too. Senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala said Aiyar's remarks on the Kerala government were unwarranted. "I don't know why he said so. The All India Congress Committee has clarified that he is no longer in the Congress. He is an individual who can say anything," he said. Asked about Chennithala's remarks, Aiyar said, "It is not for Ramesh Chennithala to throw me out of the party."