Sam Pitroda, again. Racist remarks spark uproar, Congress calls it unacceptable

Congress leader Sam Pitroda stirred a major controversy after remarking that Indians in the East resemble the Chinese while those in the South look like Africans, drawing swift criticism from the BJP. The Congress immediately distanced itself from Pitroda's remarks, terming them "unacceptable".

In an interview with The Statesman, Pitroda, while discussing India's status as a democratic example, said the country's people "survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together leaving a few fights here and there."

"We could hold together a country as diverse as India -- where people on East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africans. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters," Pitroda said during the interview.

He added, "We all respect different languages, different religions, customs and food. That's the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit."

As Pitroda came under fire for his comments, Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh took to X and said, "The analogies drawn by Mr Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies."

BJP CALLS OUT SAM PITRODA'S 'RACIST' REMARKS

Reacting to Pitroda's controversial remarks, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X, "Sam bhai, I am from the Northeast and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country - we may look different, but we are all one. Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo! (Please understand at least something about our country)"

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who hails from Tamil Nadu, called Pitroda racist and said the comments reflected his biases. "I am from South India. I look Indian! My team has enthusiastic members from northeast India. They look Indian! My colleagues from west India look Indian! But, for the racist who is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi, we all look African, Chinese, Arab and white! Thanks for revealing your mindset and your attitude," she tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lost no time in blaming former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his aide Pitroda's latest howler. Sneeringly referring to Gandhi as shehzada, the PM said, "Aapko jawaab dena padega (You will have to answer for this). My country will not tolerate the disrespect of my countrymen on the basis of their skin colour and Modi will never tolerate this."

Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut lashed out at the Congress and condemned Pitroda's comments as "racist and divisive". In a jab, she called him Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's mentor.

"Their whole ideology is about divide and rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African. Shame on Congress!" she tweeted.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also disparaged Pitroda and said that the "diverse India" comparison the Congress leader drew further illustrates that he has no understanding of the country or its culture.

"It is clear that he [Pitroda] 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," Ravi Shankar Prasad told news agency ANI.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala dubbed Sam Pitroda a "serial offender" and demanded his expulsion from the Congress. "Shabd Uncle Sam ke, Soch Rahul ki (The words are Uncle Sam's, but the ideology is Rahul's). Pitting Bharatiya versus Bharatiya. Racism & nafrat ki dukaan (peddlers of hate)," he tweeted.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said he would seek legal opinion and sue Pitroda for his "racist" and "irresponsible" comments.

ALLIES STEER CLEAR

Even Congress allies did not spare Pitroda. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "I do not agree with his statement. But, is he a member of the manifesto committee, a star campaigner of Congress, and does he reside in this country? He lives abroad. It's unfortunate to make his issues the country's issue."

DMK leader TKS Elangovan said Pitroda’s remarks were unwarranted as despite regional, cultural and linguistic differences, the people of India were one.

“Racially, we have never differentiated the people of India. This is unwarranted and we are not for it...This (remark) is not ours, we talk about linguistic and cultural equality and that people living in all the states should treated equally...Ultimately what he said is that we are all together, maybe he could not explain it properly,” said Elangovan.