Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who has been out of active politics for some time, on Monday lamented being ‘sent back to the pavilion’ by the party, even as he stressed he is ‘ready if called in to bat.’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and padayatris participating in the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra Kerala’s Wayanad on September 27, 2022. (Congress Twitter/ANI) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
“…as of now, this is 2023, and I have been out of the Rajya Sabha for the last seven years. I have been without a position in the Congress for the last 10 years; I had not anticipated this. I had thought that I would be without a position for 10 years, and that may be after that, I would be recognised. But in my case, as it has turned out, it has been the opposite,” Aiyar told PTI in an exclusive interview.
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The former Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer, 82, added: “I did have a good innings, but now I have been sent back to the pavilion. But I am all padded up and ready to bat if I’m called in to bat.”