Mani Shankar Aiyar (born 10 April 1941) is an Indian politician and former career civil servant diplomat.

He was born in Laxmi Mansions, Lahore in British India, which as post-Partition refugee property, became house for the family of Saadat Hassan Manto.

[2] After the loss of his father, Aiyar's mother had to negotiate with Doon to allow him to continue his studies with reduced fees and in return she taught at the school.

He resigned from service in 1989 to take up a career in politics and media, entering the Parliament as a Congress MP from Mayiladuthurai in 1991, 1999 and 2004 but was defeated in 1996, 1998, 2009 and 2014.

He spent some time in Pakistan posted as a diplomat, serving as India's first consul-general in Karachi from 1978 to 1982.

His special interests include grassroots democracy, Indian foreign policy particularly with India's neighbouring countries, and West Asia and nuclear disarmament.

[9][10] While on a tour of the Andamans as the Cabinet Minister in the later part of 2004, Aiyar was quoted as saying at the Cellular Jail there that there was no difference between Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Savarkar and Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah as they shared a 'divisive' philosophy.

Reports of the incident paralysed Parliament and led to agitations by the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

He also belittled the Kirori Mal College and the BA (Programme) Degree, a course in the University of Delhi.

[15] Mani Shankar Aiyer justified[16] November 2015 Paris attacks as[17] a response to France banning hijab.