Sam Pitroda Steps Down As Chairman Of Indian Overseas Congress Amid Row Over Racist Remark

Amid the ongoing row over his racist remark, Sam Pitroda on Wednesday decided to step down as the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. His decision has been accepted by the grand old party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The dust hadn’t even settled on Pitroda’s ‘inheritance tax’ remark, that the leader stirred a new trouble for the grand old party with his latest remark on India’s diversity. Often considered a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, Pitroda said people in India’s East look like Chinese and those in the South like Africans.

Highlighting how India has developed itself as a shining example of democracy in the world, Pitroda had said that the people of the country have “survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people are living together”.

“We could hold together a country as diverse as India — where people on the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arabs, people on the North look like maybe Whites and people in South India look like Africans. It doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters,” Pitroda said in an an interview with The Statesman.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju spoke to CNN-News18 over Pitroda’s resignation and said, “I was personally hurt and shocked by such a statement, we are not taking this lightly.”

The BJP leader said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is a “reflection of Sam Pitroda’s ideas”. Rijiju said Pitroda’s decision to step down is “immaterial”, asking that “can he seize to be Rahul’s mentor?”

Several leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party lashed out at Congress over Pitroda’s racist remarks and demanded an apology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lambasted the grand old party for ‘insulting Indians based on their colour’.

“I can tolerate it when abuses are hurled at me, but not when they are hurled at my people. We will not accept this racist mentality,” the Prime Minister said.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is from Tamil and represents Karnataka in Rajya Sabha, said that she is from South and looks as much Indian as her teammates from north-east India and west India. “But for racist mentor of Rahul Gandhi, we all look African, Chinese, Arab and the White,” she posted on ‘X’.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam termed Pitroda’s statements to be “shameful”.

“It is a statement to divide India into parts. It is a statement to insult the people of India. Sam Pitroda ji is the same person listening to whom Rahul Gandhi ji also talks irrationally. Jairam Ramesh had said that he (Sam Pitroda) was our mentor. So, does the Congress party endorse this issue?,” Nirupam said.

With the situation growing tense, the Congress party dissociated itself from Sam Pitroda’s remarks. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh stepped in to reduce the rage against his party 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.”

The Prime Minister slammed Congress’ “divisive” mindset, saying that the party wants to break the nation into pieces. “Congress has, time and again, proved that it is against India, and against people of India,” he said.

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