Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, on Friday claimed that the BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign is faltering as a video of his comments on Pakistan is being circulated on the internet. He asserted that the clip is old and being “dredged up” in the election times by the BJP.
The Congress leader said, "It is obvious from the sweater I am wearing that my comments to Chill Pill were made in the winter several months ago.” As he remarked upon BJP’s “faltering election campaign,” he added, “They have been dredged up now as the BJP's election campaign falters. I refuse to play their game."
He also asked the “interested persons” to read his two books released last year, namely "Memoirs of a Maverick" and "The Rajiv I Knew…".
In the video, Aiyar says, "If we don't give them respect, they'll think of using the atom bomb against India." He also further said that we should also remember that Pakistan also has an atomic bomb. Aiyar, in the video, said, "We should not forget that Pakistan also has muscle at Kahuta (Rawalpindi)."
Over the recently circulated video of Aiyar, BJP also reacted. Party’s spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla in a statement said that Mr. Aiyar is displaying the “muscle and strength of Pakistan” on Congress party’s behalf.
Other leaders of BJP have also commented on the same video of Aiyar. The Deputy CM of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "After seeing the certainty of huge defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the people of Congress are rattled.”
Maurya also stated that people who do not have trust in the Indian Military should leave India. He added, “Those who don't have trust in the Indian military, which has the most capable ammunition in the world, instead of residing in India, they should go to Pakistan.”