Mani Shankar Aiyar calls Shashi Tharoor 'anti-Pakistan', says he eyes 'foreign minister' role

Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has once again put his party in a difficult spot, launching a fresh round of attacks on senior party colleagues even as the Congress prepares for a crucial Assembly battle in Kerala.

In an interview to NDTV, Aiyar, who served as Union Minister for Panchayati Raj during the Congress-led UPA government, said the Congress was unlikely to win the upcoming Kerala elections because its leaders are internally divided.

“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.

The remarks come amid continuing unease within the party over Aiyar’s recent praise for Kerala Chief Minister and CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan — comments that had already forced the Congress to publicly distance itself from him.

Congres 'puppet'

Aiyar described senior Congress leader Pawan Khera as a “puppet” and questioned his standing within the party.

“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,” Aiyar said, adding that Khera was not a party spokesman.

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In response, Khera wrote 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 exchange highlights the widening rift between Aiyar and the party’s current leadership, which has repeatedly sought to distance itself from his off-the-cuff remarks.

'Anti-Pakistan' Tharoor

Aiyar also trained his guns on four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, who has had periodic differences with the Congress leadership on national security and foreign policy issues.

Calling Tharoor “anti-Pakistan”, Aiyar alleged that the MP harbours ambitions of becoming the “next foreign minister”.

The remark comes at a time when Tharoor has been under scrutiny within the party for constantly taking a stance that does not toe the official line.

Slams Jairam Ramesh

Aiyar did not spare Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh either. Referring to Ramesh’s role in countering his earlier praise for Vijayan, Aiyar said Ramesh “has to keep his job”.

The pointed comment appeared to suggest that Ramesh’s rebuttals were driven by organisational compulsions rather than political conviction.

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Ramesh, however, had firmly asserted that the people of Kerala would bring the Congress-led UDF back to power and had dismissed any suggestion of ideological convergence between the Congress and the Left.

What triggered row

Aiyar’s latest remarks come in the backdrop of controversy over his praise for Pinarayi Vijayan at a Thiruvananthapuram seminar titled “Vision 2031: Development and Democracy”.

At the event, Aiyar lauded Kerala’s record in Panchayati Raj and said the state had fulfilled former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s vision. In remarks that drew sharp criticism from Congress leaders, he said: “Therefore, I must fall at your feet, Chief Minister Vijayan, and request you to pick up the baton that the Congress has dropped.”

The comments came months ahead of a high-stakes Kerala Assembly election, in which the Congress is directly contesting the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front.