The Congress yesterday suspended its senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar from the primary membership of the party and issued him a show cause notice, after he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "neech aadmi" (vile man)
The Congress yesterday suspended its senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar from the primary membership of the party and issued him a show cause notice, after he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "neech aadmi" (vile man). The disciplinary action against the Gandhi family loyalist came barely two days before the first phase of Assembly poll in Gujarat.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Mani Shankar Aiyar's comments were an "insult" to Gujarat
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had yesterday lambasted Aiyar claiming he was targeted over his caste. Modi, who was addressing an election rally in Surat, said Aiyar's comments were an "insult" to Gujarat. "Shriman (Mr) Mani Shankar Aiyar today said that Modi is of 'neech' (lower) caste and is 'neech' (vile). Is this not an insult to Gujarat?
"This is a Mughal mentality where if such a person (who comes from a humble background) wears good clothes in a village, they have a problem," Modi said.
Aiyar had kicked up the row after the prime minister, while inaugurating the Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, hit out at the Congress, saying parties seeking votes in Ambedkar's name tried to erase his contribution to nation building.
"He (Modi) is 'neech kism ka aadmi' (a vile man) who has no 'sabhyata' (civility)," he said, attacking Modi after the latter accused the Congress of seeking votes in Ambedkar's name but trying to erase his contribution to building India. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had deprecated Aiyar's language against the PM and asked him to apologise which the former Union Minister did, claiming his knowledge of Hindi was not good. He also maintained that he never called Modi "low born".
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