Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday termed former Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'Neech Aadmi' (low man) remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as uncultured.
The Congress party distanced itself from the controversy, saying that Aiyar's remark was his personal, and did not reflect the party's view.
Talking to ANI, Pradhan said: "Aiyar is very arrogant and has always been a blind supporter of Gandhi family. It was an uncultured remark."
Agreed president of Republican Party of India (RPI) Ramdas Athawale: "Aiyar's statement is wrong. It shows the desperation of the Congress party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked for all sections of the society."
"The Congress party is unhappy with the fact that a person who belongs to the Other Backward Caste (OBC) has become the Prime Minister of the country," added Athawale.
The Congress party's national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said that the article only expresses the personal opinion of Aiyar.
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"It is also very imperative for you to read the last part of the article you are referring to where he says the opinion and the remarks are the personal opinion of the author," said Shergill in a press statement.
Earlier today, Aiyar, who revived his 'Neech Aadmi' jibe against Prime Minister Modi by terming it 'prophetic' in an article published recently, refused to comment on his remark saying he did not want to be involved in the media's "games.