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In a video, shared by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, Mani Shankar Aiyar is heard saying that when Rajiv Gandhi became PM, he and many others had questioned it as he was “an airline pilot, who had failed twice”
Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar made the remarks in a video interview, a clip of which was shared by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya. (Image: PTI/File)
Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has managed to once again sting the Congress with a set of controversial remarks about former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s educational qualifications.
In a video, which was shared by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, he is heard saying that when Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister, he and many others had questioned it as he was “an airline pilot, who had failed twice”.
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. pic.twitter.com/m9serSGQMs
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 5, 2025
While it was not immediately clear when the video was shot, the Congress was quick to dismiss the comments as irrelevant and defend the former PM as one of India’s top leaders.
Malviya shared the clip of the video interview on X, and said: “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.”
According to Aiyar, who has also penned a book about Rajiv Gandhi titled ‘The Rajiv I Knew’, the ‘Father of Information Revolution’ – as the Congress calls the late leader – was academically weak. He said he was surprised how such a person was made the PM.
“When Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister, people thought, I thought, he’s an airline pilot, he has failed twice…I studied with him in Cambridge…he failed there, where it is considered very easy to pass. After this he took admission in Imperial College London, but failed there as well. So, I wondered how such a person could become the Prime Minister…”
Responding to Aiyar’s remarks in the video, Congress leaders dismissed them saying he has no “relevance in the party”. “Mani Shankar Aiyar has no relevance in the party. He does not hold any significant position. Therefore, there is no need to give much attention to his statement,” party leader Ajay Singh Yadav said.
Delhi: On Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s statement regarding former PM Rajiv Gandhi, Congress leader Ajay Singh Yadav says, “Mani Shankar Aiyar has no relevance in the party. He does not hold any significant position. Therefore, there is no need to give much attention to… pic.twitter.com/V5smtKLsmo— IANS (@ians_india) March 5, 2025
Delhi: On Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s statement regarding Former PM Rajiv Gandhi, Congress MP Tariq Anwar says, “Failing is not a big deal; even the best people fail sometimes. But he did not fail in politics. When he was given political responsibility and became Prime… pic.twitter.com/QbEt9DVxMt— IANS (@ians_india) March 5, 2025
Congress MP Tariq Anwar, meanwhile, said even the best people fail, but Rajiv Gandhi “did not fail in politics”. “Failing is not a big deal; even the best people fail sometimes. But he did not fail in politics. When he was given political responsibility and became Prime Minister, I believe there have been very few Prime Ministers in our country who have achieved as much in just five years…”
