Mani Shankar Aiyar attacks Congress again, says can't crush dissent

New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI) Firing a fresh salvo, veteran leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Tuesday said if the Congress cannot stand a dissident then it is the party's "doom", and if it does not have the courage to respond to the person in a "polite but firm language" then it doesn't deserve to rule.

Aiyar also recalled former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's words in Parliament in 1989 that "only a secular Bharat can survive" and dared the Congress high command to get his son, Rahul Gandhi, to repeat those words.

"The Congress lives because of dissidence, the Congress grows because there are many opinions and it is all connected with the Vedic injunction that God is one, the Congress is one. But there are many paths that lead to God, and in a similar way, there are many paths that lead to the Congress. Unfortunately this lesson seems to have been forgotten by the current establishment," Aiyar said in a video released as part of his series, 'Mani Talk', on YouTube.

He has been uploading videos on his YouTube channel for the past few months.

"Those who honestly disagree remain within the political ambit. Those who dishonestly conduct dissension, history itself, perhaps Allah taa'la himself, punishes them. If therefore, the current establishment cannot stand a dissident then I am afraid, it is the doom of the Congress," the former Union minister said.

"We have always lived on the strength of dissidence and dissidence is the basis of democracy. If we do not have the courage to answer the dissident in polite but firm language, then we don't deserve to rule," Aiyar said in his over 23-minute video titled 'No Space for Dissent in Today’s Congress?'.

He recalled that speaking in Parliament on May 5, 1989, Rajiv Gandhi had stated that only a secular Bharat can survive. Rajiv Gandhi had followed that with "...and if India is not secular then perhaps it does not deserve to survive".

"I say to the Congress high command who have kept me out of the working committee, which now has 60 members: do you have the courage to repeat the words in the mouth of the son of Rajiv Gandhi....words that are on record in Parliament which were pronounced by Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi amar rahe," Aiyar said.

In the video, Aiyar cited several instances of dissidents raising their voices in the Congress during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Talking of the period when Indira Gandhi was the PM, Aiyar said, "She was ok when she was having differences with the Syndicate. But when she broke the party, only because there was dissidence and declared the Emergency because that was the only way in which she could remain the PM, what was the outcome? "The Congress not only lost, Indira Gandhi lost her Rae Bareli seat and Sanjay Gandhi lost his Amethi seat. That is what happens if you crush dissidence in the Congress." He pointed out that in Rajiv Gandhi's time, there was dissidence with Arif Mohammad Khan being the first dissident.

"He (Khan) is now wanting to become the vice president of the BJP. He is actually in the BJP. The other great rebel was VP Singh. VP Singh was his most close finance minister and it was not the Congress that threw out V P Singh, it was V P Singh who left the Congress," the Congress veteran said.

"Equally, Arun Nehru was the most powerful political voice in the Congress but when Rajiv Gandhi discovered that he was responsible for opening the gates of the Babri Masjid and allowing the Ram Lalla Virajman to take place...at that time he threw Arun Nehru out of the cabinet and in fury Arun Nehru went out of the Congress," he recalled.

It later turned out that Arun Nehru was responsible for the Bofors scam, Aiyar claimed.

His remarks come amid worsening of his ties with the Congress. It began when Aiyar, speaking in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, expressed confidence that Pinrayi Vijayan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will continue to be Kerala's chief minister at an international seminar in Thiruvananthapuram, which was inaugurated by Vijayan.

At the event, Aiyar remarked, "So in the presence of the chief minister, who I am sure will be the next chief minister, I renew my plea that in order to reinforce Kerala as the best panchayati raj state in the country, state laws should be amended based on practical experience, Thomas Isaac's insights, the five-volume report I chaired and the note on district planning by V K Ramachandran circulated by the Planning Commission when it truly supported panchayati raj." The Congress distanced itself from Aiyar's remarks, saying he has had no connection whatsoever with the party for the last few years and he speaks and writes purely in his personal capacity.

The grand old party also asserted that the people of Kerala will bring the Congress-led alliance United Democratic Front (UDF) back in power in the southern state for more responsible and responsive governance.

On Monday, Aiyar went on a verbal rampage against his party colleagues, a day after remarking that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) would retain power in Kerala.

In a series of scathing remarks, Aiyar branded Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor an "unprincipled careerist", labelled AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal a "rowdy", and took a swipe at party veteran Ramesh Chennithala.

Aiyar also took aim at Pawan Khera, referring to Congress national spokesperson as a "tattu" (pony). Aiyar was reacting when asked about a social media post by Khera distancing the party from his remarks. PTI