Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has faced backlash after an old interview of his resurfaced, in which he suggested that India should engage in dialogue with Pakistan to avoid potential nuclear conflict.
In the interview, Mr. Aiyar expressed his belief that if India were to provoke Pakistan, the latter might consider using nuclear weapons. He stated, “India should respect Pakistan because it has nuclear bombs! If we don’t respect them, they might think of using those bombs against India.”
He continued, “We should engage in talks with them, but instead, we’re showing off our military strength, which only raises tensions. They have atom bombs, and what happens if a ‘madman’ decides to use them on India? We have them too, but if someone dropped a bomb on Lahore, the radiation would reach Amritsar in just a few seconds.”
These remarks by Mr. Aiyar have been met with strong criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claims they reflect the Congress party’s stance towards Pakistan.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar shared the video on the social media platform X, emphasizing, “Rahul’s Congress ideology is evident in these elections. Support to and from Pakistan, including offering to give up Siachen. Dividing people, spreading lies, and using fake promises to mislead the poor and vulnerable.”
