Amid the peak Lok Sabha Elections 2024 season, Congress leader Sam Pitroda on Wednesday courted fresh controversy after he stated that Indians in the east look like Chinese while in the South look like Africans. Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda has been accused of passing racist remarks by the BJP. Notably, it was Sam Pitroda who courted controversy regarding wealth distribution and inheritance tax giving the BJP an edge during the Lok Sabha campaign. In an interview for a news portal, Sam Pitroda was trying to highlight how Congress was successful in keeping the people of different religions and regions together, Sam Pitroda went too far and compared Indians from various regions to people of another country. Below is what Sam Pitroda said-
The people of India "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 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."
Following this a massive outrage was sparked on social media. Tehseen Poonawala took to his X handle and write, "I am speechless ! Let me be blunt: everytime Sam Pitroda ji speaks- he damages the Congress! The South of India which Congress hopes to sweep their peoples look like AFRICA & peoples East of India look like CHINESE & people in the West for eg Gujarat or Mumbai or Pune look like ARABS! I am speechless..."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."
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut wrote, "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!"
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, "Sam bhai, 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. Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo!"
Congress on the backfoot?
Distancing INDIA alliance from Pitroda's remarks, 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... on one side it's the issues of the people and on the other side, what Sam Pitroda is saying from America. We have nothing to do with that, neither it's an issue, nor this country would want to react to what he says..."