Bhabhar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar of giving 'supari' (contract) while on a visit to Pakistan to get him "removed" from the way to ensure peace between India and the neighbouring country.
Targeting the diplomat-turned-politician for the second time in two days after the Congress leader's 'neech aadmi'(lowly person) jibe at him on Thursday, Modi also alleged that the Congress tried to suppress this episode and did not take any action against Aiyar.
Attacking the Congress over its work culture, Modi alleged that the party believes in--'atkana' (to stall) 'latkana' (to keep the issue hanging) and 'bhatkana' (to divert an issue).
The prime minister's remarks come a day after Aiyar set off a political firestorm when he called Modi a "neech kism ka aadmi". The Congress on Thursday suspended Aiyar from the primary membership of the party and issued him a show cause notice for his remarks.
The PM also attacked senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal and said the party should sack him for urging the Supreme Court to defer hearing on the Ayodhya Ram temple dispute.
"Why doesn't the Congress also remove this lawyer leader of theirs?" he said in a pointed reference to the suspension of Mani Shankar Aiyar.
On Thursday during a rally in Surat, he had said, " Mani Shankar Aiyar said that Modi is of 'neech' (lower) caste and is 'neech' (lowly). Is this not an insult to Gujarat?...This is a Mughal mentality where if such a person (who comes from a humble background) wears good clothes in a village, they have a problem."
A day after being suspended from the Congress, Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday said he would accept any punishment if the party suffers damage in the Gujarat polls due to his "neech aadmi" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Aiyar said the Congress party had given him a lot and there was no future for India without the party.
"If the Congress has suffered any damage because of what I have said, then I deeply regret it," he told reporters on the sidelines of an India-Pakistan seminar.
Gujarat goes to polls on Friday for the first phase of the elections. The second phase is on December 14.