Mani Shankar Aiyar Sparks Fresh Row, Says Chinese ‘Allegedly Invaded’ India in 1962, Apologises for ‘Mistake’

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has kicked up a fresh political row after saying the Chinese “allegedly invaded” India in 1962, with both his party and the BJP reacting to his remarks. The veteran leader, who is known to make controversial statements, later apologised “unreservedly” for his “mistake”, even as his party said it has distanced itself from the “original phraseology” and the BJP calling it a “brazen attempt at revisionism”.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that Aiyar had subsequently apologised for his remarks and “allowances must be made for his age”. He said the party has distanced itself from his “original phraseology”. But, he also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of giving a “clean chit” to the Chinese for their incursions into India in May 2020.

According to a purported video of an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday evening (May 28), Aiyar, while narrating an anecdote, said, “…In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India.” He made the remarks at the launch of the book Nehru’s First Recruits.

Later, in a brief statement, he said, “I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word ‘alleged’ before ‘Chinese invasion’ at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening.”

The BJP’s IT department head, Amit Malviya, slammed the Congress over Aiyar’s remarks. “Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during the launch of a book called Nehru’s First Recruits, refers to the Chinese invasion in 1962 as ‘alleged’. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism,” the BJP leader said on X.

“Nehru gave up India’s claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhi’s UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory,” he alleged.

He asked: “What explains Congress’s love for the Chinese?”

The BJP held a press conference on Wednesday, where it alleged that Aiyar’s statement was a reflection of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s thought process. National spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said this is an insult to soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country.

“On the one side, PM Modi is among the people with our (BJP) report card and, on the other, there are such statements against the country. Mani Shankar Aiyar’s statement is not an ordinary one, it is an insult to all those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. 1,400 soldiers were martyred in the 1962 war. Isn’t this an insult to our soldiers? And Mani Shankar Aiyar is saying there was an alleged attack. Though this is a statement of Mani Shankar Aiyar, it is the thought of Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)

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