Congress will not win Kerala polls due to internal rift, says Mani Shankar Aiyar

Thiruvananthapuram, : Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has triggered a fresh political storm by claiming that the Congress is unlikely to win the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections due to deep internal divisions within the party.

In an interview to media persons in Thiruvananthapuram, Aiyar said that factionalism and infighting among Congress leaders are more damaging than the party’s ideological battle with the Communists. “I want the Congress to win. But looking at the way leaders are fighting among themselves, I cannot say that victory is possible. They seem to hate each other more than they hate the Communists,” he remarked.

His comments come at a time when the Indian National Congress is gearing up for a crucial electoral contest in Kerala against the ruling Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Aiyar also took a swipe at party leadership, stating, “I am still in the Congress; I have not left the party. Perhaps Rahul Gandhi has forgotten that I am a member.” Referring to ideological affiliations, he added, “I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajiv-ite, but I am not a Rahul-ite,” in an apparent dig at Rahul Gandhi.

In a sharp remark, Aiyar criticised the elevation of senior leader K. C. Venugopal within the party hierarchy, questioning internal decisions. He also targeted party spokesperson Pawan Khera, calling him a “puppet” and alleging that Khera had repeatedly attacked him over the past two years.

Commenting on senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Aiyar suggested that Tharoor harbours ambitions of becoming External Affairs Minister and described him as having a strongly anti-Pakistan stance.

Following Aiyar’s remarks, Pawan Khera responded on social media platform X, stating that Mani Shankar Aiyar has had no active association with the Congress in recent years and that he speaks purely in his personal capacity.

Aiyar’s explosive statements have once again exposed simmering tensions within the Congress ranks, even as the party attempts to present a united front ahead of the high-stakes Kerala elections.