Fresh remarks by Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda, where he seeks to emphasize the diversity of India, has prompted sharp reactions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as other BJP members.
In an interview to The Statesman, Pitroda had said, “People in the East look Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North like, maybe, White, and people in the South look like African.” He had stoked a controversy last month too, when he said the inheritance tax in the US was “an interesting law and could be among issues that people in India debate and discuss.”
Leading the attack, PM Modi at a rally in Telangana’s Warangal on Wednesday said, “Shehzada (a reference to Rahul Gandhi) will have to answer. “The nation and Modi will not tolerate insulting our citizens on the basis of skin colour.”
Posting about the same from his official handle on social media platform “His remarks are racist and in very poor taste.”
BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, Kangana Ranaut leveled an attack on Pitroda over his “racist” and “divisive” comments for Indians. “Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi’s mentor. Listen to his racist & divisive jibes for Indians. It’s sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African,” Ranaut said in a post on X.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai termed Pitroda’s remarks as “sexist, crass and abusive”. “This is not only strongly condemnable, but also disgusting to us and also shows the mindset of Congress, and this is why our PM says we need a Congress-mukt Bharat,” Annamalai said while speaking to ANI.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Sam bhai. We are a diverse country – we may look different but we are all one. Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo (learn about our nation a bit)!”
Manipur’s BJP Chief Minister N Biren Singh took a more aggressive stance and called the statement “racist.” “I condemn Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s racist comment against the people of Northeast. The Congress must know that the NE has been a part of India and always will be. Such a mockery of India’s diversity is highly unacceptable,” he said, demanding that the Indian National Congress and Pitroda issue a public apology.
Meanwhile, the Congress has distanced itself from Pitroda’s remarks with General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh condemning these through a post on X. “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 Congress leader Ramesh said.
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First uploaded on: 08-05-2024 at 16:46 IST
