Manishankar Aiyar Shares Views on Rahul Gandhi’s PM Prospects and India-China Relations at Kasauli Litfest
On the final day of the Khushwant Singh Litfest in Kasauli, former Union Minister and Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar said Rahul Gandhi can become Prime Minister only when differences within the India alliance are resolved. He stated that no one other than Rahul Gandhi can effectively run the coalition government. Aiyar admitted that given the current circumstances, defeating the BJP is difficult but possible only through unity.
He explained that only leaders who genuinely support the Gandhi family rise to top party positions, but limited votes make leadership choices challenging. Referring to Congress’s 2019 defeat and Rahul Gandhi’s resignation as party president, Aiyar recalled how Mallikarjun Kharge was later chosen as the leader.
Discussing his book “Revising Rajiv Gandhi Legacy for India’s Future,” Aiyar blamed Indian military and intelligence failures for the collapse of Rajiv Gandhi’s Sri Lanka policy. He dismissed the BJP’s label of Rajiv Gandhi as a “failure prime minister” as mere propaganda.
On relations with China, Aiyar said India can only become number one globally by befriending China and questioned whether the government wants to confront or cooperate with China.
Defending the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987, Aiyar admitted the operation failed but emphasized it was an attempt to prevent Sri Lanka’s disintegration, which could have impacted India. He also highlighted Rajiv Gandhi’s cultural contributions, including airing the Ramayan TV series and introducing color television during the 1982 Asian Games.
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