Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar once again criticised Congress leaders while praising the state govt. His criticisms were directed at Shashi Tharoor, MP; Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera. Aiyar said that Congress members disliked each other more than they disliked communists. He added that the leaders were all on different paths.Aiyar referred to Congress spokesperson Khera as a puppet of the party. “For the past two years, he blamed me. He is not a Congress spokesperson. If Congress cannot find someone else to be the spokesperson besides Khera, the party will be in more trouble. I am a Gandhian. I speak the truth, and I am prepared for any consequences,” he said. “I wish for Congress to win in Kerala but I believe it is not possible. The communists are united and disciplined. They won twice, and there is no anti-incumbency sentiment. Such an event never happened in Kerala’s history,” Aiyar said.Kerala ranks first in Panchayati Raj, which was the dream of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “I am proud of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan for taking up the baton that Congress dropped. May Kerala continue to prosper,” he said.He also harshly criticised Tharoor, who turned against the party leadership on issues like Operation Sindoor, suggesting that Tharoor’s ambition is to become the next foreign minister. Aiyar’s earlier statement that Vijayan would return to power as chief minister was widely discussed. Before the dust settled on this statement, he again came down on Congress leaders. However, the Congress leadership dismissed Aiyar, with Khera stating that Aiyar has no connection with Congress.Aiyar made the remark about Vijayan’s return to power during the govt’s Vision 2031 programme, focused on development and democracy. Congress leadership wrote to prominent figures asking them not to attend the event. “I don’t know if such an incident is an insult or a compliment. It is a state event and also a national one. I deeply regret the absence of my colleagues,” Aiyar said.
