May 10th 2024.
The Indian political arena was thrown into a frenzy on Friday after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar made some controversial remarks about Pakistan. His party was quick to distance itself from the comments, while the opposition party BJP took advantage of the situation to criticize the Congress for being sympathetic towards Pakistan and the terrorism it harbors.
In a viral video on social media, Aiyar can be heard saying that India should show respect towards Pakistan as it is a sovereign nation and also possesses nuclear weapons. He further went on to state that if a "mad person" were to come to power in Pakistan and use their atom bomb, it would have consequences for India as well.
As expected, Aiyar's remarks sparked a row, with the Congress clarifying that they do not agree with his statements made a few months ago. Congress media department chairperson Pawan Khera made it clear that Aiyar does not speak for the party in any capacity and that the Congress dissociates itself from his comments.
Khera also pointed out that the BJP was using these old remarks to distract from the failures of Prime Minister Modi's election campaign. He even shared a video of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar advising India to be cautious of China.
The BJP, however, saw this as an opportunity to attack the Congress during the crucial general elections. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused Aiyar of wanting India to fear Pakistan and give it respect, which goes against the ideology of the "new India" that does not fear anyone. He also highlighted recent comments made by other Congress leaders, claiming that they demonstrate the party's pro-Pakistan stance.
Chandrasekhar mentioned how the leader of opposition in Maharashtra, Vijay Wadettiwar, had suggested that Hemant Karkare, an IPS officer killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was actually shot by an RSS-affiliated cop and not the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab. He also pointed out former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's dismissal of a recent terror incident as a political stunt and Congress leader Digvijay Singh's conspiracy theory about the Mumbai terror attack being an RSS plot.
In conclusion, Chandrasekhar accused the Congress of acting, talking, and behaving like an apologist for Pakistan's terrorism. He also drew parallels to the recent controversy surrounding Congress leader Sam Pitroda, who had made inappropriate comments about the 1984 Sikh riots, and claimed that there is a pattern to such statements made by Congress leaders.
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