Only one elite family can be a ruler and rest are only `neech`: Jaitley on Aiyar`s remark

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

NEW DELHI: Retaliating at senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech' barb against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said that the Congress Party has challenged the weaker and backward sections of India.

Hitting out at Aiyar's deplorable remark, Jailtley said, "Mani Shankar Aiyar’s ‘neech’ remark against the Prime Minister displays a mindset that only one elite family can be a ruler and the rest are only the ‘neech’.

"The Congress Party has challenged the weaker and backward sections of India by calling the Prime Minister as neech. The strength of India’s Democracy will be displayed when a person of humble background politically defeats the dynasty and its representatives," Jaitlkey tweeted.

Earlier Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the "first family" never tolerated a Prime Minister from outside their fold and always tried to destabilise them.

Earlier in the day, Aiyar called Modi a "bahut neech kisam ka aadmi" who is practising "dirty politics".

"He (Modi) is 'neech kism ka aadmi' (a vile man) who has no 'sabhyata' (civility)," he said, attacking Modi after the latter accused the Congress of seeking votes in B R Ambedkar's but trying to erase his contribution to building India.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked 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.

Mani Shankar's controversial remarks came after the Prime Minister said parties seeking votes in BR Ambedkar's name tried to erase his contribution in nation building and did little to build the Ambedkar International Centre conceived 23 years ago.

Modi, who inaugurated the centre in the heart of the national capital in Janpath, also took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi's comment on being a Shiva devotee and said some parties talked more of Baba Bhole (Lord Shiva) than Babasaheb.

While appealing to the people to vote for BJP, the PM said, "Nothing can stop me from giving back to the poor what belongs to them."