Mani Shankar Aiyar

Last updated

Mani Shankar Aiyar
Mani Shankar Aiyar addressing the Press Conference on 4th NE Business Summit (cropped).jpg
Minister of Panchayati Raj
Government of India
In office
23 May 2004 –22 May 2009
Source:

Mani Shankar Aiyar (born 10 April 1941) is an Indian politician and former career civil servant diplomat. He is a member of the Indian National Congress Party.

Contents

He represented the Mayiladuthurai constituency of Tamil Nadu in the 10th Lok Sabha, 13th Lok Sabha, and 14th Lok Sabha. He was a nominated member of parliament from Rajya Sabha.

Early life and education

Aiyar with Kanti Bajpai, then headmaster, at The Doon School. Mani Shankar Aiyar at The Doon School.jpg
Aiyar with Kanti Bajpai, then headmaster, at The Doon School.

Mani Shankar Aiyar is the son of Vaidyanatha Shankar Aiyar, a chartered accountant, and Bhagyalakshmi Shankar Aiyar. He was born in Laxmi Mansions, Lahore in British India, which as post-Partition refugee property, became house for the family of Saadat Hassan Manto. [1] His older brother is the journalist, Swaminathan Aiyar. He lost his father at age 12 in an air crash.

He attended Welham Boys' School, The Doon School and obtained B.A. in economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, University of Delhi. While at Doon, he was an editor of The Doon School Weekly . [2] After the loss of his father, Aiyar's mother had to negotiate with Doon to allow him to continue his studies with reduced fees and in return she taught at the school. [3]

He graduated in economics from Delhi University, and then did a two-year B.A. in Tripos in economics at Trinity Hall, Cambridge at the University of Cambridge which, in the Oxbridge tradition, became an M.A. with the passage of time. He was a member of Trinity Hall. He was also an active member of the Marxist Society in Cambridge. At Cambridge, Aiyar joined student politics and once even tried to win a presidential contest. Rajiv Gandhi, who was his junior both at Doon and Cambridge, supported him in his campaign.

Positions Held

PeriodPosition Held
6 April 2008 onwardsMinister, Panchayati Raj and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region
29 January 2006 onwardsUnion Cabinet Minister of Panchayati Raj and Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region
23 May 2004 - 28 January 2006Union Cabinet Minister, Petroleum & Natural Gas; Panchayati Raj
2004Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
2002 - 2004Member, Committee on Public Undertakings
1999 - 2004Member, Committee on Urban and Rural Development
1999Elected to 13th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
1998Secretary, All India Congress Committee
1998Member, Committee on External Affairs
1992 - 1996Member, Committee on Human Resource Development
1992Elected to All India Congress Committee (AICC)
1991 - 1992Member, Committee on Environment and Forests
1991Elected to 10th Lok Sabha

Career

He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1963 and served as Joint Secretary to Government of India from 1982 to 1983 in Ministry of External Affairs and later as Joint Secretary at Prime Minister's Office from 1985 to 1989. He resigned from service in 1989 to take up a career in politics and media, entering the Parliament as a Congress MP from Mayiladuthurai in 1991, 1999 and 2004 but was defeated in 1996, 1998, 2009 and 2014. He spent some time in Pakistan posted as a diplomat, serving as India's first consul-general in Karachi from 1978 to 1982. [4] [5] [6]

He is a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee and was a chairman of both the party's political training department and the department of policy planning and coordination. He is also a well-known political columnist [ citation needed ] and has written several books, including Pakistan Papers and Remembering Rajiv, and has edited a four-volume publication, Rajiv Gandhi's India.

His special interests include grassroots democracy, Indian foreign policy particularly with India's neighbouring countries, and West Asia and nuclear disarmament.

Personal life

He was married on 4 January 1973 to Suneet Vir Singh, a Sikh woman. They have 3 daughters – the eldest, Suranya Aiyar is a lawyer; [7] the second, Yamini Aiyar is a senior research fellow and director of the Accountability Initiative. [8]

Aiyar is the uncle of Vidya Shankar Aiyar, former anchor on Channelnews asia and CNN- IBN. [9] [10]

Controversies

While on a tour of the Andamans as the Cabinet Minister in the later part of 2004, Aiyar was quoted as saying at the Cellular Jail there that there was no difference between Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Savarkar and Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah as they shared a 'divisive' philosophy. He also ordered that a plaque with a poem commemorating Savarkar be replaced with a plaque with quotes from Mahatma Gandhi. Reports of the incident paralysed Parliament and led to agitations by the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Aiyar's remarks created confusion as well in the ruling party; the official spokesman, Anand Sharma, noted that the Congress Party did not consider Savarkar either a freedom fighter or a patriot. A few days later, the Prime Minister dissociated himself and the cabinet from that view. [11]

11th President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam administering the oath as Cabinet Minister at a Swearing-in Ceremony in New Delhi on 2004. The President Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam administering the oath as Cabinet Minister to Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar at a Swearing-in Ceremony in New Delhi on May 22, 2004.jpg
11th President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam administering the oath as Cabinet Minister at a Swearing-in Ceremony in New Delhi on 2004.

In September 2011, Aiyar visited his alma mater—St. Stephen's College—to speak about 'Governance and Corruption: Is Panchayati Raj A Solution?'. However, he began to mock the Hansraj College and its former student Ajay Maken. He also belittled the Kirori Mal College and the BA (Programme) Degree, a course in the University of Delhi. This led to an agitation by the students of Hansraj College. When the agitated students approached him, he mocked them even further. When later questioned by the media, Aiyar refused to apologise and rather ridiculed the institutions even further. Baffled by his remarks, Stephen's College and its students went on to apologise to Hansraj College and extended a hand of friendship. [12]

13th President of India Pranab Mukherjee releasing a book authored by 12th Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari, in New Delhi on 2008. Pranab Mukherjee releasing the book titled "Travelling through Conflict Essays on Politics of West Asia", authored by the Vice President, Mohammad Hamid Ansari, in New Delhi on March 04, 2008 (1).jpg
13th President of India Pranab Mukherjee releasing a book authored by 12th Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari, in New Delhi on 2008.

He in an interview days before the run up to the 2014 Parliament elections in India, said that a tea seller (The Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi of the BJP) can never become the Prime Minister of India, but can sell tea in AICC meetings. [13] His comment was disowned by the congress saying it's his personal view and not the party's view. [14] Rahul Gandhi asked him not to make personal attacks. [15]

Mani Shankar Aiyer justified [16] November 2015 Paris attacks as [17] a response to France banning Hijab. [18] He also justified Charlie Hebdo shooting as a backlash for the death of Muslims. [19] [20] His comments were disapproved by his own party members. [21]

He sparked a political firestorm when he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "neech aadmi", which PM Modi interpreted as nichli jaati (lower caste). Subsequently, he was temporarily suspended from the party's primary membership. Aiyar said the comments by the PM showed his "low-level mindset and one bereft of any manners". [22] He further justified his remarks on Modi by adding "Yes, I called Modi 'neech' but did not mean it as a low-born; I meant it as low". [23]

Publications

Aiyar has written ten books –


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of India</span> Head of government of India

The prime minister of India is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the executive. The prime minister has to be a member of one of the houses of bicameral Parliament of India, alongside heading the respective house. The prime minister and his cabinet are at all times responsible to the Lok Sabha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajiv Gandhi</span> Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989

Rajiv Gandhi was an Indian politician who was the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the assassination of his mother, then–prime minister Indira Gandhi, to become at the age of 40 the youngest Indian prime minister. He served until his defeat at the 1989 election, and then became Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha, resigning in December 1990, six months before his own assassination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian National Congress</span> Indian political party

The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party or simply the Congress, is a political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement. The Congress led India to independence from the United Kingdom, and significantly influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonia Gandhi</span> Indian politician (born 1946)

Sonia Gandhi is an Indian politician. She is the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a social democratic political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independence history. She took over as the party leader in 1998, seven years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, her husband and a former Prime Minister of India, and remained in office until 2017 after serving for twenty-two years. She returned to the post in 2019 and remained the President for another three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahul Gandhi</span> Indian politician (born 1970)

Rahul Rajiv Gandhi is an Indian politician. A member of the Indian National Congress (INC), he is currently serving as the 12th Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and as the member of the Lok Sabha for Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, since June 2024. He previously represented the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala, from 2019 to 2024, and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, from 2004 to 2019. Gandhi served as the party president of the Indian National Congress from December 2017 to July 2019 and is the chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress, the National Students Union of India, and a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. He is a member of the Nehru–Gandhi political family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feroze Gandhi</span> Indian freedom fighter, politician and journalist (1912 – 1960)

Feroze Jehangir Gandhi was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and journalist. He served as a member of the provincial parliament between 1950 and 1952, and later a member of the Lok Sabha, the Lower house of Indian parliament. He published The National Herald and The Navjivan newspapers. His wife, Indira Gandhi, and their elder son Rajiv Gandhi were both prime ministers of India. He was a member of Indian National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramaswamy Venkataraman</span> President of India from 1987 to 1992

Ramaswamy Venkataraman, also known as R. Venkataraman, was an Indian lawyer, independence activist and politician who served as a Union Minister and as the eighth president of India. Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Tanjore district, Madras Presidency. He studied law and practised in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court of India. In his young age, he was an activist of the Indian independence movement and participated in the Quit India Movement. He was appointed as the member of the Constituent Assembly and the provisional cabinet. He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times and served as Union Finance Minister and Defence Minister. In 1984, he was elected as the seventh vice president of India and in 1987, he became the eighth President of India and served from 1987 to 1992. He also served as a State minister under K. Kamaraj and M. Bhaktavatsalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindu Mahasabha</span> Hindu nationalist political party in India

Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha is a Hindu nationalist political party in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Patel</span> Indian politician (1949–2020)

Ahmedbhai Muhamedbhai Patel, also known as Ahmed Patel, was an Indian politician and Member of Parliament from the Indian National Congress. He was the political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hansraj Gangaram Ahir</span> Indian politician

Hansraj Ahir is an Indian politician and current Chairman of the National Commission for Backward classes. He is a former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers in the First Modi Ministry. He was the former member of the 16th Lok Sabha in India. He was member of 11th Lok Sabha, 14th Lok Sabha, 15th Lok Sabha. He is famous for exposing Coal Mining Scam specially pouni-3 in WCL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anantkumar Hegde</span> Indian politician

Anantkumar Hegde is an Indian politician, the former Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the former five time Member of Parliament for Uttara Kannada constituency. Hegde is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Hegde is a Hindu nationalist and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karan Singh</span> Indian politician (born 1931)

Karan Singh is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the titular Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. From 1952 to 1965 he was the Sadr-i-Riyasat (President) of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He is the chairperson trustee of the Dharmarth Trust of Jammu and Kashmir which maintains 175 temples in north India and works in other areas such as historical preservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Lok Sabha</span> 7th lower house of the Parliament of India

The 7th Lok Sabha, was elected in 1980 Indian general election. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India nine sitting members from Rajya Sabha were elected to 7th Lok Sabha after the 1980 Indian general election. Indira Gandhi became the Prime minister on 14 January 1980, after INC and alliances won 373 seats, 286 seats more than previous 6th Lok Sabha. Rajiv Gandhi became Prime minister on 31 October 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The next 8th Lok Sabha was formed on 31 December 1984 after the 1984 Indian general election. With roughly 9.3% of total MPs being Muslims, the 7th Lok Sabha had more Muslim MPs than any other in Indian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. Shiv Shankar</span> Indian politician

Punjala Shiv Shankar was an Indian politician. He served as the Minister of External Affairs, Law, and Petroleum. He was a very influential minister in Indira Gandhi's and Rajiv Gandhi's cabinets and was one of the most senior politicians in India. He also served as Governor of Sikkim from 1994 to 1995 and Governor of Kerala from 1995 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vishvjit Singh</span>

Vishvjit Prithvijit Singh was an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress party. He is a great-grandson of Pratap Singh of Kapurthala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mani Ram Bagri</span>

Ch. Mani Ram Bagri was an Indian parliamentarian and political activist. He served three terms in the Indian Parliament, first from 1962 to 1967, and then again from 1977 to 1984 [Consisting of two terms: 1977-1980 and 1980-1984]. He belonged to the league of parliamentary opposition socialists like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehru–Gandhi family</span> Indian political dynasty

The Nehru–Gandhi family is an Indian political family that has occupied a prominent place in the politics of India. The involvement of the family has traditionally revolved around the Indian National Congress, as various members have traditionally led the party. Three members of the family—Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi—have served as the prime minister of India, while several others have been members of parliament (MP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh</span> Indian politician (born 1964)

Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh or R. P. N. Singh, is an Indian politician and former Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for Kushinagar constituency in the fifteenth Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014. In the 2014 General Election, despite an increase in his own votes, he was defeated by Rajesh Pandey (BJP). He lost again in 2019. In September 2020, Singh was chosen for AICC in charge of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

The Indian National Congress (INC) is one of the two major political parties in India. The prominent members of the party are the president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi. INC took part in the elections alongside other members of the United Progressive Alliance. On the fourth anniversary of the second United Progressive Alliance government, the INC announced that its campaign for the election would be led by Prime minister Manmohan Singh, party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

References

  1. ↑ "Read Manto's fiction to grasp Indianness". HT Mint. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  2. ↑ 'History of the Weekly' published by The Doon School (2009) p.33
  3. ↑ "The IB ultimately came to the conclusion that I was indeed a Marxist, but of the Groucho variety". Tete-a-tete. Calcutta, India: The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata). 18 May 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Shukla, Ajai (20 August 2014). "New Delhi's new red line on Indo-Pak dialogue". Business Standard India– via Business Standard.
  5. ↑ Aiyar, Mani Shankar (20 February 2012). "Islamabad Diary". Outlook. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Detailed Profile: Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar".
  7. ↑ Aiyar, Yamini; Kapur, Avani (5 October 2016). "Opinion: Swachh Bharat Mission's Success Is Greatly Exaggerated". NDTV.com. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Mani Shankar Aiyar's daughter weds". The Hindu. 27 November 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "Time for India to invigorate disarmament plan: panel". The Hindu. 20 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "Time for India to invigorate disarmament plan: panel". nsspi.tamu.edu. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "You have shamed a democratic-secular India, Mr. PM!, The Milli Gazette, Vol.5 No.18, MG112 (16–30 Sep 04)". milligazette.com.
  12. ↑ "Aiyar mocks Hans Raj again, belittles Kirori Mal too". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 2 December 2013.
  13. ↑ "Modi can never become PM, can sell tea: Mani Shankar Aiyar". The Indian Express. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  14. ↑ "Congress disapproves of Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'tea vendor' remarks against Narendra Modi". NDTV.com. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  15. ↑ "Rahul disapproves of Aiyar's 'chaiwala' jibe at Modi – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  16. ↑ "Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar justifies Charlie Hebdo killing, Twitter declares war" . Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  17. ↑ "Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar offers justification for Paris terror attack, terms it 'backlash' | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  18. ↑ "Mani Shankar Aiyar justifies Paris terror attacks, says it is response to France banning Hijab". News18. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  19. ↑ "Mani Shankar Aiyar justifies Charlie Hebdo attack, gets slammed on Twitter". Firstpost. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  20. ↑ "Shocker! Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar defends Charlie Hebdo attack | Tehelka Web Desk | Tehelka - Investigations, Latest News, Politics, Analysis, Blogs, Culture, Photos, Videos, Podcasts". www.tehelka.com. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  21. ↑ "Cong disapproves of Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark on Paris attacks". hindustantimes.com/. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  22. ↑ "Ambedkar row: Mani Shankar Aiyar calls Modi 'neech aadmi', PM terms it a 'Mughlai mindset'". indianexpress.com. 7 December 2017.
  23. ↑ "Mani Shankar Aiyar calls Modi 'neech'; suspended from Congress - Times of India ►". The Times of India. 18 August 2018.

Further reading

Political offices
New title Minister of Panchayati Raj
2004–2009		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
2004–2006		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.