Indian National Congress’ president-elect Rahul Gandhi has sent a stern message to his party workers and members by having Mani Shankar Aiyar – the veteran with an Oxbridge education and a foot-in-the-mouth disease – suspended from the party’s primary membership. Aiyar’s uncharitable remark about PM Modi – the Congress leader called the PM a “neech aadmi” – has backfired and would have bitten the party hard, but for Gandhi’s quick decision to sack the old timer.
यही हैं कांग्रेस का गांधीवादी नेतृत्व व विरोधी के प्रति सम्मान की भावना।कांग्रेस पार्टी ने श्री मनी शंकर अय्यर को कारण बताओ नोटिस जारी कर प्राथमिक सदस्यता से निलम्बित कर दिया है।क्या मोदी जी कभी यह साहस दिखाएँगे? https://t.co/h6MEgvm6Ca
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 7, 2017
Sacking Mani Shankar Aiyar a smart move. Minimises damage and shows Rahul as a new kind of leader. Puts pressure on BJP to sack it’s own motor mouths.
— Sidharth Bhatia (@bombaywallah) December 7, 2017
So @OfficeOfRG swiftly demands an apology from Mani Shankar Aiyar and then suspends him . Clearly the new boss is going to be very different
— Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) December 7, 2017
Bold move from Cong.First open apology on Twitter and then suspension of Manishankar Aiyar.Welcome step.Whoever degrades public discourse,shd get same treatment
— Narendra nath mishra (@iamnarendranath) December 7, 2017
While his notoriously snide comment about BJP's prime-ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, in 2014 – that he should sell tea at the AICC headquarters – had boomeranged to reduce Congress to its lowest-ever score in the Lok Sabha, the party veteran went on to issue another careless comment earlier today, December 7.
Previously, Aiyar’s “Aurangzeb” comment was misrepresented by the BJP IT cell and the mainstream media, but his latest – calling PM Modi “neech aadmi” – to indicate a low-level politics of bigotry, has caused a tsunami of enraged reaction, and rightly so.
Aiyar was quoted by news agencies as saying: “Mujhko lagta hai ki ye aadmi bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai, isme koi sabhyata nahi hai. Aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajniti karne ki kya avashyakta hai? (This shows the low-level mindset of the PM and one bereft of any manners. What is the need of doing such dirty politics on such an occasion.)”
Mujhko lagta hai ki ye aadmi bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai, isme koi sabhyata nahi hai, or aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajniti karne ki kya avashyakta hai?: Mani Shankar Aiyar, Congress on PM Modi pic.twitter.com/VrLM6TOlNr
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2017
Aiyar was responding to PM Modi alleging, during a speech, that Congress and the Nehru-Gandhis have belittled BR Ambedkar’s legacy, when he made the “neech aadmi” comment.
Will Modi take action against the serial offenders in his own camp? Photo: PTI
The swift politician in PM Modi latched on to Aiyar’s thoughtless statement to say that the Congress veteran was being an elitist and disliked the fact that a “lower caste” person has risen to power.
Attempts to erase Baba Saheb Ambedkar's role failed, he has been more influential in the minds of people, much more than the family for which all this was done: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/tvMfb6sRns
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2017
I have nothing to say on a ‘wise’ Congress leader calling me ’Neech'. This is the Congress mindset. They have their language and we have our work. People will answer them through the ballot box. https://t.co/2McoZnaoar pic.twitter.com/icGqAphUzy
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 7, 2017
The PM reportedly said at a rally in Surat on the last day of campaigning for the first phase: “One Congress leader, who has studied in best institutions, served as a diplomat, was a minister in Cabinet, he said Modi is ‘neech’. This is insulting. This is nothing but a Mughlai mindset.”
Moreover, other BJP leaders like Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, national president Amit Shah and law minister RS Prasad too didn’t leave the opportunity to take potshots at Congress over Aiyar’s comment.
Mani Shankar Aiyer’s ‘Neech’ -attack on Prime Minister- a deliberate casteist statement, a convenient apology, a strategic suspension. People should see through this game
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 7, 2017
Mani Shankar Aiyer’s ‘Neech’ remark against the Prime Minister displays a mindset that only one elite family can be a ruler and the rest are only the ‘Neech’.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 7, 2017
Mani Shankar Aiyar has called our PM 'neech' but we are proud of our Prime Minister, he has answered (Mani Shankar Aiyar) very politely & sensibly. Aiyar's mindset is a 'darbaari' one: Ravi Shankar Prasad pic.twitter.com/XLc3T1Ryp3
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2017
YamrajMaut Ka SaudagarRavanGandi Nali Ka KeedaMonkeyRabies VictimVirusBhasmasurGangu TeliGoonThese are some words or phrases Congress has used for PM @narendramodi in the past. Not much has changed. We wish them well. We will continue to serve 125 crore Indians.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 7, 2017
It’s precisely in this volatile climate of accusations and counter-accusations that Aiyar’s comments have whipped up social media hysteria, because everything that the Congress leaders utter or do before the crucial Gujarat elections on December 9 and 14 is being weighed, word for word.
Whether it’s Kapil Sibal or Mani Shankar Aiyar, the old guards are being scrutinised and even a tiny hint of verbal carelessness is being used as cannonfodder to target the grand old party.
Two days back, Aiyar has been in a spot for his Aurangzeb remark, which was distorted and taken out of context. While the PM and the BJP IT cell was indeed misreporting his statement, and have been busted for their game of distortion as well, the “neech” comment was crying out for electoral targeting by the ruling BJP, which is a master of equivocation.
While Aiyar is known as a plain-speaker who says the most caustic and bitter truths without sugar-coating them, this is really not the time to strike below the electoral equinox of acceptability. The alumnus of the elite Doon school, St Stephen’s College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge University has been taken to the cleaners by an overactive BJP social media cell and those in media, who are genuinely put off by this political leg-before-the-wicket stunt by the party old guard.
However, Rahul Gandhi has been quick to condemn Aiyar’s language, while drawing attention to how PM Modi himself, as well as his lieutenants like Shah, Amit Malviya, Paresh Rawal, GVLN Rao, Yogi Adityanath among others, have constantly disparaged the Nehru-Gandhis, calling them names. Gandhi said:
BJP and PM routinely use filthy language to attack the Congress party. The Congress has a different culture and heritage. I do not appreciate the tone and language used by Mr Mani Shankar Aiyer to address the PM. Both the Congress and I expect him to apologise for what he said.
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 7, 2017
The BJP has shown unbelievable disrespect towards the people of Gujarat. Campaign is over and STILL no mention of a manifesto for the people, no vision and no ideas presented for Gujarat’s future. #BJPDisrespectsGujarat
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 7, 2017
An example is GVL Narasimha Rao’s tweet that has been red-flagged by several Congress members, which the BJP leader calls Gandhi a “Babar bhakt”, “kin of Khilji”, “siding with Islamic invaders”, betraying gross Islamophobia as well as making ad hominem attacks.
Rahul Gandhi has teamed up with Owaisis, Jilanis to oppose Ram temple in Ayodhya. Rahul Gandhi is certainly a "Babar Bhakt" & a "Kin of Khilji". Babar destroyed Ram temple & Khilji plundered Somnath. Nehru dynasty sided with both Islamic invaders.Travesty & Perversity of dynasty!
— GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) December 6, 2017
Dear Mr @narendramodi ; this is the malevolent lies and repugnant politics being played out by your senior spokesperson against my leader @OfficeOfRG . Do you agree with this vicious attack? Your silence will be construed as YES! Waiting for your response. https://t.co/euG1lnTWrv
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) December 6, 2017
Similarly, tweets by Amit Malviya making gross and frankly uneducated insinuations about Jawaharlal Nehru, too have been called out for their misleading content and antipathy towards the Nehru-Gandhis. Paresh Rawal spoke of tying author Arundhati Roy to a jeep like the Kashmiri Farooq Ahmad Dar was, betraying both anti-Muslim sentiments and rabid misogyny.
Incidentally, unlike Gandhi’s swift action condemning and sacking Aiyar, no display of forthrightness has come from PM Modi, who has been often criticised for following trolls who routinely abuse women and seculars on social media, often sending out death threats.
This is the reason why #BlockNarendraModi trended on Twitter when PM Modi not only failed to issue stern warnings to the abusers, his deafening silence acted as a tacit approval of those disgusting social media trolls.
, but Gandhi’s decisiveness has certainly made an impact on everyone, with fellow Opposition leaders like Omar Abdullah, as well as journalists, among others reading this as a sign of a break from the old Sonia Gandhi style of doing politics, which amounted to stony silence on thorny issues.
If anyone had doubts about Rahul’s willingness to take quick & decisive action today should put those doubts to rest. He has handled the #Neech fiasco like a leader.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 7, 2017
If anyone had doubts about Rahul’s willingness to take quick & decisive action today should put those doubts to rest. He has handled the #Neech fiasco like a leader.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 7, 2017
Suspending Iyer is @OfficeOfRG first decisive action as Cong prez & a break from how things were done in Sonia congress
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) December 7, 2017
Isn’t it cue for BJP to walk the talk and take action against the serial offenders in its own camp?