With the last phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections remaining, political slugfest is getting harder and more vitriolic.

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, a vocal critic of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, justified his “neech aadmi” remark that he made for PM Modi in December 2017 just before the Gujarat assembly elections following which he was suspended from the Congress party.

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Aiyar, in an article written for Rising Kashmir, has heavily criticized PM Modi on a series of issues and asked, “Remember how I described him on 7 December 2017? Was I not prophetic?”

Reacting to his article and subsequent utterance, GVL Narasimha Rao, the BJP spokesperson tweeted: “Abuser-in-chief’ Aiyar returns to justify 2017 ‘Neech’ jibe at @narendramodi Ji. Aiyar then apologized & hid behind poor Hindi excuse. Now he says he was prophetic. Congr revoked his suspension last year for filthy outburst. Double speak & arrogance of @INCIndia on display again!”

‘Abuser-in-chief’ Aiyar
returns to justify 2017 ‘Neech’ jibe at @narendramodi
Ji. Aiyar then apologized & hid behind poor Hindi excuse. Now he says he was prophetic. Congr revoked his suspension last year for filthy outburst.Double speak & arrogance of @INCIndia on display again! pic.twitter.com/5PFZE8mwz7

— Chowkidar GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) May 14, 2019

Amit Malviya, BJP’s IT Cell head said that following Sam Pitroda’s “hua to hua” remark on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Mani Shankar Aiyar lost the limelight. “Upset that Sam Pitroda was getting all the attention, the irrepressible Mani Shankar Aiyar pulls Pitroda’s foot out of his mouth and puts it in his…Reiterates and justifies his Neech’ comment for PM!” Malviya tweeted.

Upset that Sam Pitroda was getting all the attention, the irrepressible Mani Shankar Aiyar pulls Pitroda’s foot out of his mouth and puts it in his…

Reiterates and justifies his ‘Neech’ comment for PM! pic.twitter.com/0oUcjegjp3

— Chowkidar Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 14, 2019

Just days before the Gujarat elections in December 2017, Aiyar, in response to a reporter’s question on Modi’s claim that there were attempts to undermine Sardar Patel’s role had said, “Ye aadmi (PM Modi) bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai, is mein koi sabhyata nahi hai, aur aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajneeti karne ki kya avashyakta hai? This man (PM Modi) is very vile, he doesn’t have any civility. What is the need to indulge in such dirty politics at this juncture?”

In his article, Aiyar has attacked PM Modi on a range of issues, right from his educational qualifications to Indian Air Force’s strikes at Balakot, Rajiv Gandhi using INS Viraat, his recent claims of how with his suggestion the IAF fooled Pakistani radars by taking advantage of the clouds, among other issues.

“Remember how I described him on 7 December 2017? Was I not prophetic?” Aiyar said.