New Delhi [India], May 28 (ANI): Triggering a fresh controversy, former Union Minister and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar referred to the 1962 Indo-China war as an “alleged Chinese invasion”.
He made the remarks during a book event ‘Nehru’s First Recruits: The Diplomats Who Built Independent India’s Foreign Policy’ written by Kallol Bhattacherjee.
Addressing the press conference on Tuesday, Aiyar said, “In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India.”
The 1962 Indo-China War took place between October and November of 1962. The Chinese troops attacked across the ‘MacMohan line’ and captured the Aksai Chin region which belongs to India.
Aiyar was recalling an episode from the time when he had taken the exam for the Indian Foreign Service.
“On the day, Tawang fell, the Foreign Service exams began in London. When it was over…I was prominent in politics, and the newspapers used to make reference to me as being very left-wing, being a communist. After I passed the foreign service exam, and I had done very well. I found I was not finding any kind of admission letter. So, I wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs, that I have not received the joining letter,” Aiyar said.
“I got the reply through Telegram stating ‘Regret to inform you, that you have been rejected from all services’ and I immediately realised what this was about…The Intelligence Bureau had a very important source of information on Indian students studying in foreign universities…it was called Yellow Rats…they came to the conclusion that since I am a communist and since I raised money for the Chinese. I was not able to raise money for my dinner, how will I raise money for the Chinese? I was removed from the list and rushed back to India,” the senior Congress leader added.
The former Union Minister has been no stranger to controversies with several infamous remarks in the past, that even left his party embarrassed on the national stage.
Earlier this month, the Congress leader courted controversy after an interview clip of his went viral, wherein he could be heard saying that Pakistan is a “respected nation” that also possesses an atom bomb so India must enter into a dialogue with them.
He further said there have been “no efforts” from India to “reach out” to Pakistan in the last ten years.
In February, the former Union Minister triggered a fresh row after coming out in praise of Pakistani people and terming them as the ‘biggest asset of India’.
Speaking at the session titled ‘Hijr Ki Rakh, Visaal Kay Phool, Indo-Pak affairs’ in Lahore, Aiyar shared his affection for Pakistan and its people, saying he had never been to a country where he had been welcomed with such open arms as he was in Pakistan. (ANI)
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