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Congress distances itself from suspended Mani Shankar Aiyar after he hailed Pakistan

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The Congress party on Wednesday distanced itself from the remark made by Mani Shankar Aiyar that he receives “much more hatred in India than the love he receives in Pakistan”, saying the suspended party leader doesn’t have any right to speak on the behalf of the party.

“The remark is his own, he is suspended from the Congress party. He doesn’t have any right to speak on the behalf of the party,” ANI quoted Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi as saying in a press conference.

Aiyar, who is in Karachi to attend a literature festival, on Tuesday said he receives “much more hatred in India” than the love showered on him by people in Pakistan. He also claimed that people applaud him in Pakistan because he talks of peace.

“Thousands of people, whom I don’t know, hug me, wish me. I receive much more hatred in India than the love I receive in Pakistan. So I am happy to be here. They are clapping for me because I speak of peace,” Aiyar told ANI.

On Monday, the suspended Congress leader called for “uninterrupted and uninterruptible” talks between India and Pakistan to resolve longstanding issues.

Pakistani news channel Geo News TV quoted him as saying that he regrets that New Delhi doesn’t reciprocate Islamabad’s push to resolve issues through dialogue. “And I am very proud and half very sad that this sentence of these three words has been accepted as Pakistan policy, but has not been accepted as Indian policy,” he was quoted as saying.

Aiyar was suspended by the Congress for “neech” remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Gujarat Assembly elections campaign. Aiyar had apologised for his statement and blamed his poor command over Hindi for the misunderstanding.(Agencies)

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