After 2014's 'chaiwala' jibe, Aiyar makes another derogatory remark about PM Modi

The political slugfest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress Party reached a new low when Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "neech aadmi" (low-minded person) for appropriating Babasaheb Ambedkar into his election campaign for the imminent assembly polls in Gujarat.

Aiyar, while talking to ANI, said it was the first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who turned Dr Ambedkar's wish into reality and it was not correct to badmouth the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"This person is a 'neech aadmi' (low-minded). He is not civilised and in a situation like this, there is no need to practise such dirty politics," Aiyar said.

In the run up to the Gujarat polls, the BJP has been appropriating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar to accuse the Congress Party of meting out an unjust treatment to legends like them.

Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Modi said the Nehru-Gandhi family did the greatest injustice to Babasaheb Ambedkar and Sardar Patel.

The prime minister said the injustice with Ambedkar was done when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru enjoyed full influence over the Congress Party.

He today again took a jibe at the Opposition, saying that the political parties who asked for votes in the name of Dr B. R. Ambedkar have lately turned into "Shiv bhakts".

This is not the first time Aiyar has made a derogatory remark about the prime minister.

He had, in January 2014, before the Modi-wave took the nation by surprise, said "Modi would never become prime minister, but he was welcome to serve tea to Congressmen."

The BJP had then turned the Congress leader's attack into a campaign asset - "chai pe charcha" .