NEW DELHI: After dissociating itself from the remarks of former Indian Overseas
Congress
chairman
Sam Pitroda
roundly condemned as 'racist', Congress on Friday again hastened to distance itself from a statement of
Mani Shankar Aiyar
, where he said India should give respect to
Pakistan
as it is a sovereign nation and engage with it as it also possesses an
atom bomb
.
In the video clip which Congress claimed is a few months old, Aiyar says, "They (Pakistan) are also a sovereign country. They too have some prestige. After keeping their prestige in mind, talk tough to them as much as you want..if some mad man takes over there, what will happen to the country....If you have the muscles, but they don't (then it would have been different). But like I just explained to you, their muscles are in Kahuta. And if there is a misunderstanding, we will all be in trouble," Aiyar is heard saying in a show called "Chill Pill".
Congress clarified "Aiyar does not speak for the party in any capacity whatsoever" and said the party disagreed totally with the remarks. Reacting to the row,
Aiyar
, "They (the remarks) have been dredged up now as the BJP's election campaign falters. I refuse to play their game." "Aiyar does not speak for the party in any capacity whatsoever, Congress media department chairperson
Pawan Khera
said as part of the Congress statement put out on X.
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