Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to be removed if talks between India and Pakistan are to progress, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar reportedly said during a TV interview on Tuesday, drawing the ire of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government. The BJP called the comment “extremely serious and worrisome” and asked for Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s response to the alleged statement, reported PTI.

Congress leader Tom Vaddakan, however refuted the charges, saying that Aiyar has “categorically denying saying anything like that.” Upon being asked by the anchor of Duniya TV what needs to be done to thaw India-Pakistan relations and resume dialogue, Aiyar reportedly said, “The first and the foremost thing would be to remove Modi. Only then can the talks move forward, so we have to wait four more years for that.”

In a lecture at the Jinnah Institute in Islamabad last week, Congress leader Salman Khurshid had also been critical of Prime Minister Modi. "He has little experience of conversations with people other than his admirers or those who are accustomed to merely taking orders," Khurshid had said.