‘My career was made and unmade by the Gandhis,’ says veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar 

"The irony of my life is that my political career was made by the Gandhis and unmade by the Gandhis," Aiyar remarked.

Limited direct engagement with the Gandhi family

In an exclusive interview with PTI, the 83-year-old leader reflected on his limited personal interactions with key members of the Gandhi family over the years.

"For 10 years, I was not given an opportunity to meet Sonia Gandhi one-on-one. I was not given an opportunity, except once, of spending any meaningful time with Rahul Gandhi. And I have not spent time with Priyanka except on one occasion, no, two occasions," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Despite the limited interaction, Aiyar noted that Priyanka Gandhi occasionally called him, maintaining a semblance of contact. However, he described their interactions as sporadic and not deeply meaningful.

Relied on Priyanka Gandhi during suspension

Recalling a specific instance, Aiyar shared how he depended on Priyanka Gandhi to convey birthday wishes to Rahul Gandhi during a period when he was suspended from the party.

"I happened to meet her (Priyanka Gandhi), and she's always been very kind to me," he said. "And I thought that since Rahul's birthday was in June, I could ask her to convey my greetings to Rahul."

When Priyanka Gandhi asked why he wasn’t reaching out to Rahul directly, he explained, "I am suspended and therefore I can't talk to my leader."