'Was Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech' remark a conspiracy hatched with Pakistan?' ask BJP leaders

Two BJP leaders have alleged that the 'neech' remark came a day after Congress leaders met the Pakistan High Commissioner.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's controversial 'neech' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have been a conspiracy hatched with Pakistan, two BJP leaders have alleged.

The allegation is based on a meeting that supposedly took place at Aiyar's residence the evening before the remark, and included Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, former PM Manmohan Singh and former vice president Hamid Ansari.

BJP maverick leader Subramanian Swamy raised the matter in a tweet. "Did Pak Ambassador meet MS Aiyar and three other Congi leaders at MSA residence five days ago on Gujarat strategy? Palace coup in offing?" he tweeted.

Did Pak Ambassador meet MS Aiyar and three other Congi leaders at MSA residence five days ago on Gujarat strategy? Palace coup in offing?

— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) December 9, 2017

However, it was BJP leader Ajay Aggarwal, who put more meat on the supposed skeleton. "On the (December) 6th evening, a meeting took place at Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence, where Pakistan envoy (Sohail Mahmood), former PM Manmohan Singh, Former VP Hamid Ansari and some Congress leaders were present. Heavy police deployment was there and the road was blocked," Aggarwal was quoted as saying, by news agency ANI.

"What transpired I don't know but the very next day he made the 'neech aadmi' comment for PM Narendra Modi. It may be for the polarisation of votes, their strategy, what conspired, the nation must come to know about it," he added.

Aggarwal is a senior lawyer who unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket from Rae Bareli, against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress is yet to respond to the allegations or clarify why its leaders were meeting with the Pakistani envoy.

Mani Shankar Aiyar set off a storm when he called PM Modi 'neech aadmi'. The word 'neech', or lowly, in Hindi has caste connotations. Aiyar said he may have misspoken as Hindi is not his mother tongue. He delivered an apology, and was suspended from the Congress the next day. 

Coming as it did in the election season, the BJP and PM Modi have gone to town with the controversy, accusing the Congress of having little respect for Modi, because of his humble background, or for the Gujarati people.

This is not the first time Aiyar has spoken himself into raging controversy. Ahead of the 2014 election, he had asked Modi to come sell tea outside the Congress office, since he had said he sold tea at a railway station as a child.