 "Satyanarayan to Sam Pitroda: Key details about Congress leader's life")
Sam Pitroda, the former chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, recently sparked a controversy with his perceived racist remarks that compared Indians living in different parts of the country to Chinese, Arabs, whites and Africans while discussing diversity in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned Pitroda's statement, saying "We will not accept this racist mentality" and linked it to the Congress party's opposition to Droupadi Murmu's presidential candidacy in 2022. The Congress swiftly distanced itself from Pitroda's remarks, calling them "most unfortunate and unacceptable".
Two weeks earlier, Pitroda had started a row by saying inheritance tax is a good idea and India should discuss it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turned into a major election issue.
In the wake of the latest controversy, Pitroda resigned from his post on May 9 and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accepting his decision. The Congress has completely dissociated itself from Pitroda's remarks, but the BJP has accused the party of having a "racist mentality".
Who is Sam Pitroda?
Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, 81, was born to Gujarati parents in Odisha and completed his early education in Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. He earned a master's degree in physics and electronics from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara in 1964.
Pitroda then went to the United States to pursue a master's degree in electrical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda becomes ‘Sam’
After completing his studies, he started working in Oak Electric, a television tuner manufacturing company. Till then his name was Satyanarayan Gangaram.
More From This Section
When he received his salary cheque, his name was written as Sam.
When he complained about this to the woman who handled the payroll, she said that the name was too long, so she changed it. Since then, Pitroda has stuck with the name ‘Sam’.
Sam Pitroda’s career
In 1975, he pioneered the Electronic Diary, establishing himself as a leader in handheld computing. His career path led him to join Wescom Switching, a digital switching company, in 1974.
When Wescom was acquired by Rockwell International in 1980, Pitroda became vice-president.
He is the founding chairman of India’s Telecom Commission which was launched in 1987.
He also started several businesses as a serial entrepreneur including brands like Wescom Switching, Ionics, MTI, Market, WorldTel, C-SAM, etc. in the US and Europe.
According to his website, Pitroda holds 20 honorary PhDs and some 100 worldwide patents. He has authored five books, published numerous papers, and delivered lectures extensively across the globe.
Pitroda’s association with Congress
Pitroda has been associated with the Congress party since the Indira Gandhi era and was close to Rajiv Gandhi. He was an advisor to Rajiv Gandhi when he was Prime Minister and headed six technology missions on telecommunication, water, literacy, immunisation, dairy and oilseeds during the 1980s. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in 1991.
In 2010, Pitroda founded the National Innovation Council and served as an advisor to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He was appointed Chairman of the National Innovation Council the same year.
Pitroda’s comments
Over the years, Pitroda has made comments that put the Congress party in a tight spot. In May 2019, he was criticised for saying the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were "Hua to Hua" (So what happened, happened).
He questioned the Balakot air strikes in 2019, seeking evidence of the Indian Air Force operation.
Last year, amid anticipation of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Pitroda reportedly stated that temples would not generate employment in the country. He emphasised, "No one discusses these matters. However, everyone discusses Ram, Hanuman, and Mandir. I have expressed that temples will not generate jobs."
The BJP criticised these comments, labelling Pitroda and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as "Hinduphobic". The Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s remarks.