Sam Pitroda resigns as Indian Overseas Congress Chairman amid controversy
Sam Pitroda, the former chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, has voluntarily resigned following a controversy over his racially insensitive remarks. The party's general secretary, Jairam Ramesh, confirmed that Pitroda's resignation was accepted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. This development comes in the wake of a political uproar triggered by Pitroda's comments on the physical appearances of Indians from various regions.
Controversial remarks spark political uproar
Pitroda, currently residing in the US, made contentious remarks during an interview discussing India's unity in diversity. He stated, "We could hold the country as diverse as India together. Where people in the east look like the Chinese, people in the west look like the Arabs, people in the north look like, maybe, white and people in the south look like Africans." These comments quickly spread across social media platforms and attracted widespread criticism.
Congress party disassociates from Pitroda's remarks
In response to the controversy, the Congress party promptly disassociated itself from Pitroda's comments. Jairam Ramesh labeled Pitroda's analogy as "unacceptable, unfortunate and absolutely wrong," adding that "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." Prime Minister Narendra Modi heavily criticized the remarks.
BJP leaders criticize Pitroda's remarks
Evidently, the controversy put the Congress party on the defensive, with BJP leaders leveraging Pitroda's remarks to criticize the party. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar were among those who denounced Pitroda's comments. Chandrasekhar labeled Pitroda's remark as "shameless" and accused him of dividing India.
Pitroda is not new to controversies
Last month, Pitroda had courted another controversy when he talked about the need for a policy toward wealth redistribution in an interview with ANI. "In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has $100 million...when he dies he can only transfer probably 45% to his children, 55% is grabbed by the government." "In India, you don't have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing," he asserted.
