Aiyar apologises for ‘Neech’ remark after Modi gives it a caste twist

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday apologised for using the word "neech" (low) for Prime Minister Narendra Modi but maintained that he had not referred to him as "low-born".

"I never meant low-born. There is a difference in English language between words 'low' and ‘'low-born'. But in Hindi if low means low-born, then I tender apology," he told reporters after his remarks in the morning triggered a political storm.

Asked about Rahul Gandhi's tweet that he did not appreciate Aiyar's words to address the Prime Minister, Aiyar said he could talk about it only after meeting Gandhi.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar to apologise for his "neech" barb against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Expressing his thoughts on Twitter, Gandhi said that it is not the Congress party's culture to use such language against political opponents.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given caste twist to Aiyar’s remark and attacked Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for calling him a "neech jaati" (low caste) man and said by this he has insulted all the Gujaratis who will give a befitting reply to the Congress by voting for the BJP in the upcoming assembly elections.

"They can call me 'neech jaati'. Yes, I am from the poor section of society and will spend every moment of my life to work for the poor, Dalits, tribals and backward classes. That is my culture. They can keep their language, we will do our work," Modi told an election rally here.

He was responding to Aiyar who had earlier in the day called Modi "bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai" in Delhi. "He is a very cheap person. Has no manners. What is the need to do such dirty politics on this occasion (at the inaugural of Bhimrao Ambedkar research centre in Delhi)."

Targeting Aiyar, Modi said he came from a good family, has a number of university degrees, was a diplomat for a number of years and remained a Minister in the Manmohan Singh government, but was resorting to such insults. "This is an insult to Gujarat. Not just to Gujarat but to the entire nation."

"You are the people who discriminated on the basis of caste. Not we. They feel troubled. You call us 'gandi naali ka keeda'. You call us low caste people but we won't lose our culture."

He said Aiyar was speaking out of the "Mughlai mindset" that "sees everyone as 'neech'".

with inputs from IANS