Did Rajiv Gandhi 'fail at Cambridge'? Congress veteran Mani Shankar's foot in the mouth moment goes viral | Watch
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's claim that Rajiv Gandhi failed at Cambridge has sparked controversy, with BJP seizing the opportunity to question ex-PM's academic credentials.
India's Congress party has been left embarrassed as party veteran Mani Shankar Aiyar in an interview claimed that the nation's former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi failed Cambridge University and Imperial College, London.
A short clip from Aiyar's nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long interview is doing the rounds on social media with Congress rival party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) questioning Gandhi's academic record.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders have slammed Aiyar for his remarks.
BJP pokes fun at Congress
Cashing in on the viral clip, BJP senior leader Amit Malviya posted on X: "Rajiv Gandhi struggled academically, even failing at Cambridge, where passing is relatively easy. He then moved to Imperial College London but failed there as well... Many questioned how someone with his academic record could become the Prime Minister. Let the veil be stripped."
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What did Mani Shankar Aiyar say?
The veteran Congress leader, during an interview with YouTube channel The Ewer (Chill-Pill), said Rajiv Gandhi "failed" at Cambridge.
Aiyar's foot-in-the-mouth moment happened as he was responding to a question about whether Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi - the son of Rajiv Gandhi - has the capability to lead the Congress party. In response, Aiyar invoked Congress leaders and former Indian prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
He said that Indira Gandhi who was once labelled "gungi Gudiya" (mute doll) turned into a formidable PM that history remembers and similarly Rajiv Gandhi who "failed" not one but two top universities but proved his merit as the PM.
"He was a pilot. He has failed twice. I was with him at Cambridge. He failed there. And failing in Cambridge is very difficult. It is easy to get a first-class. This is because the university wants to maintain its image and tries to ensure everyone at least passes. Then he went to Imperial College, London, and failed again. So I thought how can such a person be Prime Minister?," he said.
"But I now say he was an excellent Prime Minister," he said, adding that he knows the Gandhi family's history. It "tells me they may seem incapable initially, but a change comes when they face challenges and show their capability. So we will see," he said.
Meanwhile, red-faced at Aiyar's remarks, another Congress veteran leader Harish Rawat called Mani Shankar Aiyar a "frustrated individual," while praising Rajiv Gandhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
