 "Sam Pitroda")
Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chairperson Sam Pitroda has once again ignited controversy with his comments on diversity of the people of India amidst the Lok Sabha elections.
In a video circulating online, Pitroda can be heard saying, "We could hold together a country as diverse as India – where people in the East look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arabs, people in the North look maybe White, and people in the South look like Africans. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters."
Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi’s mentor. Listen to his racist & divisive jibes for Indians.
— Kangana Ranaut (Modi Ka Parivar) (@KanganaTeam) May 8, 2024
Their whole ideology is about divide & rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African.
Shame on Congress! pic.twitter.com/WDSYAuFbht
These statements were made during an interview with The Statesman.
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Pitroda initially highlighted India's exemplary democracy on the global stage, noting that Indians have "survived 75 years in a very harmonious environment where people could live together leaving a few fights here and there."
Expanding on this notion in the interview, he emphasised the country's reverence for diverse languages, customs, and cuisines, stating, "That's the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit."
Pitroda argued that the foundational principles of India–rooted in democracy, liberty, fraternity, and freedom–are presently under challenge, citing instances such as 'Ram Navami', 'Ram temple', and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent temple visits, suggesting that he speaks not as India's leader but as a representative of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Congress distances itself again
The Congress has yet again distanced itself from Sam Pitroda's remark.
"The analogies given by Sam Pitroda to India's diversity are extremely wrong and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely disassociates itself from these analogies," senior leader Jairam Ramesh said on X (formerly Twitter).
BJP calls out Sam Pitroda's 'racist' remark
Meanwhile, slamming Sam Pitroda over his remark, BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said he is from the North East but “looks like an Indian”.
"Sam brother, I am from the North East and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country - we may look different but we are all one. Please learn something about our country," he wrote on X.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad called Sam Pitroda “a failure”.
"It becomes clear again and again that what does Sam Pitroda understand about India. It is clear that he is a failure. He doesn't understand the country. He is Rahul Gandhi's advisor. I can now understand why Rahul Gandhi speaks nonsense...This is the frustration of defeat. They neither understand India nor its heritage," he told ANI.
Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut also condemned Pitroda's comments and said it is "racist and divisive".
"Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi’s mentor. Listen to his racist & divisive jibes for Indians. Their whole ideology is about divide & rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African. Shame on Congress!," she wrote on X.
Sam Pitroda's inheritance tax controversy
The IOC chairperson had previously sparked controversy with his comments on 'inheritance tax', prompting the Congress to distance itself from his views.
"If one has $100 million worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law. It says you, in your generation, made wealth, and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair," Pitroda had said.
"In India, we do not have such provisions. If an individual is worth 10 billion and passes away, their children inherit the entire sum, leaving nothing for the public... These are the discussions and debates that people will need to engage in," he added.
