Congress veteran Mani Shankar Aiyar ignited a fresh political controversy by referring to the 1962 Chinese invasion of India as “alleged,” prompting swift backlash from both his party and the BJP. The remarks were made during an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday evening, where Aiyar was discussing the book Nehru’s First Recruits.

In a purported video of the event, Aiyar narrated an anecdote, stating, “…In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India.” Following the uproar, Aiyar issued a brief statement, saying, “I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word ‘alleged’ before ‘Chinese invasion’ at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening.”

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh responded by noting Aiyar’s apology and suggesting allowances should be made for his age. Ramesh emphasized that the Congress party has distanced itself from Aiyar’s “original phraseology.” However, he also seized the opportunity to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi for purportedly giving a “clean chit” to the Chinese over their incursions into India in May 2020.

The BJP, particularly its IT department head Amit Malviya, vehemently condemned Aiyar’s comments. Malviya labeled the remarks as a “brazen attempt at revisionism” and accused the Congress of having a historical pattern of pro-Chinese actions. He recounted several allegations, including claims that former Prime Minister Nehru gave up India’s claim to a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council in favor of China, and that Rahul Gandhi signed a secret memorandum of understanding with China.

“Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during the launch of a book called Nehru’s First Recruits, refers to the Chinese invasion in 1962 as ‘alleged’. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism,” Malviya posted on X (formerly Twitter). He also linked the Congress’s stance to broader accusations of Chinese favoritism, stating, “Nehru gave up India’s claim on a permanent seat at the UNSC in favor of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhi’s UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory.”

Malviya questioned, “What explains Congress’s love for the Chinese?”