Mani Shankar Aiyar has done it again. The Congress veteran has embarrassed the party leadership once more, this time with his remarks on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi failing at Cambridge and Imperial College, London. As the ruling BJP amplified his comments, Congress leaders said the former Union Minister is “irrelevant and frustrated”, with one spokesperson calling him a “sleeper cell of BJP”.

While the BJP latched on to remark and renewed its dynasty and entitlement charge at the Grand Old Party, Congress leaders said Mr Aiyar is irrelevant and frustrated, with one spokesperson calling him a “sleeper cell of BJP”.

A short clip from the nearly two-and-a-half-hour interview that is doing the rounds shows Mani Shankar Aiyar as saying, “He is a pilot. He has failed twice. I was with him at Cambridge. He failed there. And failing in Cambridge is very difficult. It is easy to get a first-class. This is because the university wants to maintain its image and tries to ensure everyone at least passes. Then he went to Imperial College, London, and failed again. So I thought how can such a person be Prime Minister?” However, this clip from the interview aired on YouTube portal The Ewer (Chill-Pill), does not fully capture the context.

Mr Aiyar was responding to a question on whether Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, had the capability or the gravitas to lead the Congress party, strategise and make decisions. In his response, Mr Aiyar went back to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and how she was once referred to as “gungi gudiya” (a mute doll) before she evolved into a formidable political force. Moving to her son Rajiv Gandhi, Mr Aiyar spoke about his academic failures and the initial surprise when he was chosen for the top post. Mr Aiyar then added, “But I now say he was an excellent Prime Minister.” The Gandhi family loyalist then referred to Rajiv Gandhi’s widow Sonia Gandhi and said she was tagged a foreigner when she started her political journey and later became a key player in the Indian political landscape.

He then went on to say he was not aware of how Rahul Gandhi functioned and took decisions. “But I know their family history. That tells me they may seem incapable initially, but a change comes when they face challenges and show their capability. So we will see,” he said.

The viral short clip, however, shares only Mr Aiyar’s remark on Rajiv Gandhi’s academic failures.

Sharing the clip, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya 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.”

Congress leaders were approached for their response to the well-circulated clip, they launched personal attacks on Mr Aiyar, who has often left the party red-faced with his off-the-cuff remarks.

Party veteran Harish Rawat called Mr Aiyar a “frustrated individual” and said Rajiv Gandhi gave the country a modern outlook. “He took concrete steps for the liberalisation of the economy as well. Unfortunately, a section of the party (Congress) did not stand with him, or else the country’s history would have been something else,” said Mr Rawat.

Congress MP Tarique Anwar said, “Failing is not a big deal; even the best people fail sometimes. But he did not fail in politics. When he was given the 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.”

The Centre today strongly condemned a security breach during External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar’s visit to the United Kingdom, denouncing the actions of a “small group of separatists and extremists.” A demonstration was staged by pro-Khalistan protesters outside Chatham House in London, where Mr Jaishankar participated in a discussion on Wednesday. The protestors, carrying flags and loudspeakers, chanted slogans as the minister engaged in talks inside the venue.

“We have seen the footage of a breach of security during the visit of EAM to the UK. We condemn the provocative activities of this small group of separatists and extremists. We deplore the misuse of democratic freedoms by such elements. We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Despite the protests, Mr Jaishankar continued his diplomatic engagements, meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and other senior leaders.

In a meeting with UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Tuesday, Mr Jaishankar discussed key issues, including the flow of talent and joint efforts to counter trafficking and extremism.

“A good meeting with Home Secretary @YvetteCooperMP today in London. We discussed the flow of talent, people-to-people exchanges, and joint efforts in tackling trafficking and extremism,” Mr Jaishankar posted on social media platform X.

A good meeting with Home Secretary @YvetteCooperMP today in London.

We discussed the flow of talent, people to people exchanges, and joint efforts in tackling trafficking and extremism.

🇮🇳 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/AQmo5w8iA0

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 4, 2025

This is not the first time Khalistani groups have demonstrated in London. In January, pro-Khalistan extremists staged a protest outside the Indian High Commission.

In a separate incident, Khalistani groups stormed a cinema in London’s Harrow, attempting to halt the screening of ‘Emergency’, a film starring BJP’s Kangana Ranaut. Addressing these disruptions, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s concerns about violent protests and intimidation by “anti-India” elements in the UK.

“We consistently raise concerns with the UK Government regarding incidents of violent protest and intimidation by anti-India elements. Freedom of speech and expression cannot be applied selectively, and those obstructing it must be held accountable,” Mr Jaiswal said.

During his meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street, Mr Jaishankar conveyed “warm greetings” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed key bilateral and global issues.

“Discussed taking forward our bilateral, economic cooperation, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges. PM Starmer also shared the UK’s perspective on the Ukraine conflict,” Jaishankar stated.

His UK visit, part of a diplomatic tour covering the UK and Ireland, also included discussions on the progress of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, his administration in America has reportedly stopped using the military aircraft to deport migrants who entered the United States illegally due to high costs. The last military deportation flight was sent from the US on March 1, and a pause on such measures could be extended or made permanent, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has reported. 

America started using military aircraft to transport some migrants to their home countries or a military base at Guantanamo Bay soon after Trump took office in January. But, the measure was proving to be expensive and inefficient, the WSJ report said.

The Trump administration reportedly used the military planes for deportation because it wanted to send a message about their intent to get tough on immigrants in the country illegally.

“The message is clear: If you break the law, if you are a criminal, you can find your way at Guantanamo Bay,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week after watching migrants arrive on a C-130 aircraft during a visit to Guantanamo Bay. 

“You don’t want to be at Guantanamo Bay,” he added.

Indians Deported In Military Aircraft

Under Trump, America has conducted around 30 migrant flights using C-17 aircraft and about a dozen on C-130, according to flight-tracking data. Destinations included India, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador and Guantanamo Bay. 

In February, hundreds of Indian deportees, in several batches, arrived in India aboard a US Air Force cargo plane. Upon landing in India, the deportees narrated their ordeals and told that they were shackled and restrained throughout the flight, only to be freed upon arrival in India. 

“Costly Measure”

The deportation of illegal migrants is traditionally overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, which uses commercial flights for the operations. Since the Trump administration wanted to send a message to migrants about their stringent policies, they used military flights. 

However, these planes took longer routes and transported fewer migrants at higher cost to taxpayers than the government’s typical deportation flights on civilian aircraft, the WSJ report said. 

It found that three deportation flights to India alone cost $3 million each. Flights to Guantanamo, which carried just a dozen people, had a cost of at least $20,000 per migrant, the report showed. 

In comparison, the government data shows that a standard US Immigration and Customs Enforcement flight costs $8,500 per flight hour.  According to the WSJ report, the figure is closer to $17,000 per flight hour for international trips. 

But, the cost of flying a C-17, which is designed to carry heavy cargo and troops, is $28,500 per hour, according to US Transportation Command, which provided the aircraft. 

Adding to higher flying costs, the C-17s needed to take a longer route as they haven’t been using Mexico’s airspace, which can add several hours to flights destined for Central and South America, the report said.

Notably, Mexico and some other countries in Latin America, including Colombia and Venezuela, haven’t allowed the US military flights to land in their territories and have instead sent their own aircraft or arranged for deportees to travel on commercial flights. 

In January, Colombian President Gustavo Petro denied entry to two C-17 flights, prompting Trump to threaten tariffs. Later, the White House said Colombia had agreed to the “unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens.” But no C-17s reportedly landed in the country. Instead, it sent its own aircraft to transport the deportees.

Venezuela in February also sent two commercial flights to pick up 190 people, after years of refusals to accept deported citizens who had entered the US illegally.