Chinese invasion remark row: Congress distances from Mani Shankar Aiyar's statement, BJP calls it ‘insult to soldiers’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday criticised the Congress over its party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark on the 1962 India-China war, calling it an “attack on the integrity of India" and an “insult to every soldier who sacrificed their life for the tricolour". 

Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Gaurab Bhatia questioned the silence of senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge over Aiyar's remark while accusing the grand old party of having an “anti-India" mindset. 

“Can this happen without the approval of and Maillikarjun Kharge who are silent? Why this silence? We all know the relationship between India and China, India has been standing strong with pride showing China its place," Bhatia said, as quoted by ANI. 

“This represents the anti-India mindset of Congress and Mani Shankar Aiyar. This is an attack on the integrity of India. This is an insult to every soldier who sacrificed his life for the tricolour. 1400 of our soldiers sacrificed their lives in the 1962 war. They fought till their last breath. This was an alleged attack," he added. 

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh distanced the party from Aiyar's remarks on the Chinese invasion in 1962, saying his statement was in his “personal capacity", and he is not an official but a former MP and minister. 

“Who is Mani Shankar Aiyar? He is not an official, he is a former MP and a former minister. He speaks whatever he wants in his personal capacity. We have nothing to do with it... he has nothing to do with the Congress party. He is in Congress party but he is not even an MP, he is just a former MP," Ramesh told ANI. 

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera termed it a “slip of tongue" while stressing that had already apologised for his