JAMMU, OCTOBER 5: Senior BJP leader and former Minister Bali Bhagat launched a blistering attack on senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, accusing him of repeatedly making statements that, according to Bhagat, undermine India’s national interests, insult the sentiments of the armed forces and reveal what he termed the “deeply confused and dangerous political narrative” of the Congress.
Reacting to Aiyar’s latest remarks advocating dialogue and friendship with Pakistan, Bhagat said the Congress leader must explain why Pakistan repeatedly becomes a subject of accommodation while India’s security concerns and the sacrifices of its soldiers are treated as secondary.
Bhagat said Aiyar’s suggestion that India should resume dialogue and “make friends” with Pakistan cannot be separated from Pakistan’s long record of terrorism against India.
“Mani Shankar Aiyar is asking India to make friends with Pakistan. I want to ask him—what about the terrorists sent from Pakistan, what about our soldiers who sacrificed their lives, and what about the innocent families who continue to suffer because of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism?” Bhagat said.
He said India has never rejected peace, but peace cannot be built by ignoring terrorism or weakening India’s position.
“Dialogue is possible with everyone, but dialogue from weakness is not diplomacy. India will talk from a position of strength, not from a position of fear.”
Bhagat said Aiyar’s latest remarks become even more significant when viewed alongside the controversy surrounding his 2015 appearance on Pakistani television and the subsequent political storm over remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“First the message was ‘remove Modi’, now the message is ‘make friends with Pakistan’. Why does Modi become the problem whenever Pakistan enters the conversation? Is the Congress more interested in defeating Modi than defeating terrorism?” Bhagat asked.
Referring to the 2017 Gujarat election controversy, Bhagat said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had publicly alleged that Aiyar had sought a “supari” in Pakistan to remove him politically.
“Congress may want the country to forget these controversies, but the people remember. Political statements made before Pakistani audiences cannot simply be dismissed when they become inconvenient.”
Bhagat demanded that the Congress leadership clearly state whether Aiyar’s latest position reflects the party’s thinking.
“If Mani Shankar Aiyar is wrong, Congress should condemn him. If he is speaking the Congress line, Congress should have the courage to say so. Why this silence? Why this political double game?” he said.
“Their obsession is Modi; our priority is India. Their politics is about removing Modi; our politics is about protecting the nation.”
Bhagat also cited Aiyar’s January 2026 remarks on Hindutva, in which the Congress veteran described Hindutva as “Hinduism in paranoia” during a public debate at the Calcutta Club.
“You attack Hindutva, then question India’s firm response to Pakistan, then advocate friendship with Pakistan—and expect the people to remain silent? This is not going to happen. India is awake.” Bhagat said.
He alleged that Aiyar’s remarks reflected a political approach that sought to divide India’s civilisational identity while questioning its security policies.
Bhagat also launched a fresh attack over Aiyar’s 2021 remarks on Mughal rule, in which Aiyar had spoken favourably about the Mughals, said Congress considered Akbar “our own”, and argued that the Mughals regarded India as their own country.
Bhagat said Aiyar had also questioned narratives concerning Mughal-era religious persecution and cited historical population figures while attacking the BJP’s position on demographic politics.
“The man who wants us to celebrate the Mughals, who says Akbar is ‘our own’, who praises the Mughal approach to India, and who attacks Hindutva is now lecturing the country about how it should deal with Pakistan. The people of India are capable of connecting the dots.”
Bhagat said historical figures can and should be debated academically, but political glorification of rulers and selective interpretation of history cannot be used to lecture Indians about patriotism.
Bhagat rejected what he described as attempts to portray India’s firm national-security policy as hostility towards peace.
“India does not hate Pakistan. India hates terrorism. India does not oppose dialogue. India opposes terrorism being rewarded with dialogue without accountability. There is a difference, and Congress should understand it.”
On China, Bhagat said India could maintain diplomatic engagement with every country, but sovereignty and national security were non-negotiable.
“We can talk to Pakistan. We can talk to China. We can talk to the world. But we will never bargain away the security of India, the honour of the nation or the sacrifice of our soldiers.”
Concluding his attack, Bhagat said Congress must decide whether its politics was about “protecting India or opposing Narendra Modi.”
“Modi will come and go. Governments will come and go. But India will remain forever. Those who place political hatred above national interest will be rejected by the people. Congress must answer the nation—not me.”
