New Delhi.Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Wednesday said he is a Gandhian, a Nehruvian and a Rajivian but not a “Rahulwadi” as Rahul Gandhi is much younger to him and far away from him in political life. Aiyar said he did not call himself an ‘Indirawadi’ because he “completely disagreed” with Indira Gandhi’s move to “turn our democracy into a dictatorship” by declaring an emergency, even though the emergency was only for 18 months.
Reason for statement on Rahul Gandhi
Referring to his recent statement on Rahul Gandhi in the media, Iyer said, how can anyone expect me to be a ‘Rahulwadi’ when the guy is almost 30 years younger than me and I have not got a chance to work with him? Iyer said that he had recently said that I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajivian, but I am not a Rahulian.
Politics related to Gandhi, Nehru and Rajiv
Explaining his statement, the former Union Minister said, I was six years old and my brother was four years old when Mahatma Gandhi took us in his lap and said that these are the sun and moon of my eyes. From there I became a ‘Gandhi’. Talking about Nehru, when he became the Prime Minister, I was six years old and when he ceased to be the PM, I was 23 years old, during that period I remained immersed in Nehruvian thinking, that is why I also consider myself a Nehruvian. He said, I call myself a ‘Rajivian’ because despite being two years younger than me, he surprised me by bringing me into the PMO and the work he did… I couldn’t believe it. This is how I became a Rajivian. He said it is worth noting that I did not call myself an ‘Indirawadi’ because he “completely disagreed” with Indira Gandhi’s move to “turn our democracy into a dictatorship” by declaring emergency, even though the emergency lasted only for 18 months. Aiyar further said how can you expect me to be a ‘Rahulwadi’ when the guy is 30 years younger than me, with whom I have the opportunity to work. Not found? Iyer said, therefore, I cannot be a ‘Rahulwadi’ because he is much younger than me and is far away from me in his political life. This statement of Iyer has come amid bad relations with Congress.