Daijiworld Media Network – Jaipur

Jaipur, Mar 16: An FIR has been registered in Jaipur against senior Congress leader and former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar over allegedly objectionable remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Aiyar had visited Jaipur on March 14 to deliver a public lecture titled “The Future of India: Pseudo-Hinduism or Secular Bharat?” at a local college. During the event, he attempted to clarify a controversial statement he had made about the Prime Minister in 2017, saying that his remarks had been aimed at Modi’s character and not his caste, and that the statement had later been distorted.

However, after a video of the event surfaced online, the controversy resurfaced and triggered sharp political reactions. The situation in the city intensified as workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party staged a protest at Gandhi Circle, raising slogans against Aiyar.

BJP leaders stated that using derogatory language against the Prime Minister amounts to an insult to the dignity of the nation and demanded that Aiyar issue a public apology. Several party leaders and workers participated in the protest, including state general secretaries Shravan Singh Bagdi and Bhupendra Saini, former MP Ramcharan Bohra, former chairperson of the Women’s Commission Suman Sharma and BJYM state president Shankar Gora.

Meanwhile, a local resident, Babulal Tanwar, filed a complaint at the Gandhinagar police station alleging that Aiyar used indecent and derogatory language while referring to the Prime Minister during the event held at the Kanodia College campus. The complaint stated that the remarks were made with the deliberate intent of creating social discord and hurting public sentiments, and were later circulated on social media.

Tanwar further alleged that the statement was part of a larger conspiracy involving the Congress’s national and state-level office-bearers. Police officials said the evidence related to the allegations is currently being examined.

Responding to the controversy, Aiyar denied making any casteist remarks. He reiterated that his comments were directed at the Prime Minister’s character and not his caste.

According to Aiyar, he never referred to Modi as belonging to a “lower caste” but had used the phrase “low-class person” in reference to his behaviour. He claimed his remarks were misrepresented and later circulated as a casteist slur.

The former Union minister also said he never claimed that a tea seller could not become Prime Minister, adding that such statements had been falsely attributed to him. Aiyar said he had only made a satirical remark about the Prime Minister’s understanding of history and questioned how individuals lacking a basic grasp of history could shoulder the responsibilities of such a high office.

He also questioned the narrative about Modi selling tea at the Vadnagar railway station, claiming that there was no railway platform in Vadnagar until 1973.