'Far too much younger': Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar explains why he is not a 'Rahulian'

NEW DELHI: Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Wednesday doubled down on his recent remarks in which he described himself as a “Gandhian”, a “Nehruvian” and a “Rajivian”, but not a “Rahulian”. The sidelined leader said that he is not a “Rahulian” because Rahul Gandhi is “far too much younger” than him and “far too distant” in his political life. Speaking to PTI, Aiyar said, “I recently said that ‘I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajivian, but I am not a Rahulian’.”Explaining why he described himself as a “Gandhian”, Aiyar said, “I was six-year-old and my brother was four when Mahatma Gandhi picked us up in his arms and said ‘ye mere aankhon ke suraj aur chand hain’.” “From there, I became a ‘Gandhivaadi’.”On his identification with India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, he said, “As for Nehru, I was six when he became the prime minister, and I was 23 when he ceased being one, so my entire growing-up years were steeped in the Nehruvian ethos; that is why I also regard myself as a Nehruvian.”Aiyar said he considers himself a “Rajivian” because of his association with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. “I call myself a Rajivian because it was he, although two years younger than me, who astonished me by bringing me into the PMO and by doing the things he did… I could not believe it. That is how I became a Rajivian,” he said.He also clarified that he did not describe himself as an “Indiravian” as he “totally disapproved” of Indira Gandhi “converting our democracy into a tyranny by declaring an Emergency, albeit for only 18 months”.Referring to his comment on Rahul Gandhi, Aiyar said, “How can one expect me to be a ‘Rahulian’ when the boy is about 30 years younger than me, and I haven’t had an opportunity to work with him? That is why I cannot be a ‘Rahulian’ because he is far too much younger than me and far too distant from me in his political life.”The remarks come amid strained ties between Aiyar and the Congress leadership. The controversy began after he praised the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in Kerala and expressed confidence that the chief minister would continue in office.Speaking at an international seminar in Thiruvananthapuram, Aiyar had said, “So, in the presence of the chief minister, who I am sure will be the next chief minister, I renew my plea that 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 Ramachandran circulated by the Planning Commission when it truly supported Panchayati Raj.”The Congress distanced itself from his remarks. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said that Aiyar “has had no connection whatsoever with the Congress for the past few years” and that he speaks and writes purely in his personal capacity.Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the people of Kerala would bring the Congress-led United Democratic Front back to power in the state.