New Delhi: BJP leader Amit Malviya on Wednesday shared a video on his official ‘X’ handle featuring former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar questioning former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s education. Aiyar said that despite failing at Cambridge, where passing is considered relatively easy, he went on to attend Imperial College London, only to face failure again.
“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”, Amit Malviya captioned his post on ‘X.
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. pic.twitter.com/m9serSGQMs
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 5, 2025
It’s worth noting that Rajiv Gandhi’s academic struggles didn’t hold him back from pursuing a career in politics. He became the Prime Minister of India in 1984, following the assassination of his mother, Indira Gandhi.
Notably, Aiyar earlier stirred controversy while referring to the 1962 Indo-China war as an “alleged Chinese invasion”. He made these remarks during a book event, ‘Nehru’s First Recruits: The Diplomats Who Built Independent India’s Foreign Policy’ written by Kallol Bhattacherjee.
Addressing the press conference on Tuesday, March 4, Aiyar said, “In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India.”The 1962 Indo-China War took place between October and November of 1962. The Chinese troops attacked across the ‘MacMohan line’ and captured the Aksai Chin region which belongs to India.
Aiyar was recalling an episode from the time when he had taken the exam for the Indian Foreign Service.
Nehru’s First Recruits: The Diplomats Who Built Independent India’s Foreign Policy by Kallol Bhattacherjee includes information about India’s first diplomats and the 1962 war with China.
The book is based on the History of Services of Officers of the Indian Foreign Service. It covers the stories of diplomats like Brajesh Mishra, Mira Ishardas Malik, and Eric Gonsalves.
The war began when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China attacked India across disputed borders on October 20, 1962.
India was defeated, with 7,000 men killed or captured. China withdrew from most of the invaded area in November 1962, but retained control of Aksai Chin. (with inputs from ANI)
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