Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's first reaction after he was suspended from the primary membership  of the party. He said he was ready for whatever punishment the party deemed fit if the Congress suffered any damage in Gujarat  because of his comments.


He said the party has given him a lot and there was no future for India if there was no Congress.


Yesterday, the Congress suspended the former Rajya Sabha MP from the primary membership of the party and issued a show-cause notice to him for his comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Aiyar had expressed regret for his comments after public censure from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Aiyar had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "neech kism ka aadmi' in reaction to Modi's speech at the inauguration of the Ambedkar International Centre, where he accused the Congress of systematically undermining Ambedkar's legacy.


"Ye aadmi bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai. Is mein koi sabhyata nahi hai aur aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajniti karne ki kya avashyakta hai,' he told news agency ANI.


Soon after his remarks, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had disapproved of it and asked him to apologise.


At a rally in Gujarat today, Rahul Gandhi brought up Aiyar's suspension saying, "Congress party hindustan ke PM ki kursi ka aadar karti hai. The Congress party respects the PM's chair. Aur Congress party mein galat shabd prayog karke koi bhi PM ke baare mein nahi bol sakta. Nobody can use inappropriate language against the PM in the Congress. Isliye humne Mani Shankar Aiyar par sakht karyawahi ki. That is why I have taken strong action against Mani Shankar Aiyar," the Congress vice-president said.