In a sharp escalation of internal Congress party tensions, veteran leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday launched a scathing critique of his senior colleagues, questioning the party's leadership and forecasting an electoral defeat in Kerala amid ongoing controversy over his praise for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Aiyar's comments follow a storm triggered by his recent endorsement of the Left leader, where he asserted that Vijayan would remain in office even after the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, drawing swift rebuke from party ranks.
The Congress leadership moved quickly to dissociate itself from Aiyar's statements, with spokesperson Pawan Khera declaring that Aiyar "no longer represents the party and speaks purely in a personal capacity."
Undeterred, Aiyar fired back at Khera, branding him a "puppet" and challenging his legitimacy as a party voice. In an interview with NDTV, Aiyar remarked, "He is not a party spokesman. If the Congress cannot find anyone other than Pawan Khera to speak for it, the party will remain in the condition it is in."
Aiyar further accused Khera of targeting him personally over the past two years, intensifying the public spat between the two Congress figures and highlighting deepening rifts within the organization.
Turning to the party's fortunes in Kerala, Aiyar expressed skepticism about a Congress victory, stating, "I want the Congress to win, but I don’t believe it will." He attributed this pessimism to profound internal discord, observing that "Congress leaders hate each other more than they hate the Communists."
Aiyar's outspoken remarks underscore persistent factionalism in the Congress, particularly in Kerala, where his prediction of failure amplifies concerns ahead of the Assembly polls.
