Pitroda's 'people in East look like Chinese' remark triggers row
What's the story
Congress leader Sam Pitroda has sparked a new controversy with his statement in an interview with The Statesman. Speaking on India's diversity, Pitroda said people in the South "look like Africans and those in the East look like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese." Amid the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken the opportunity to hit back at the Congress and Pitroda over his "racist and divisive" remarks.
Statement
Here's what Pitroda said
In his statement, Pitroda said, "We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside a few fights here and there." "We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people on the east look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arab, people on the North look like white and maybe people on the South look like Africans," he added.
Political reactions
Himanta Biswa Sarma hits back at Pitroda
Pitroda's comments have drawn a sharp reaction from various quarters. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was one of the first to react to the statement. In a post on X, he said, "Sam bhai...I am from the North East...I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country...we may look different but we are all one." BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also hit back alleging that these were "racist comments by a man who is the guru of Rahul Gandhi."
Twitter Post
Watch: Poonawalla's statement here
#WATCH | Delhi: On Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda's controversial "People in East look like Chinese, in South look like Africans..." remark, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla says, "This is a shocking, despicable and disgusting comment made by Sam Pitroda. He is… pic.twitter.com/jQ9tMRAkyY
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2024
Past controversies
Pitroda triggers row with his wealth redistribution remark
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 added.
Wealth redistribution comment
Row over Pitroda's comments explained
Pitroda's remarks came in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech that the Congress manifesto promises to redistribute wealth among "infiltrators" and "those with more children" if it comes to power. To be sure, the Congress manifesto calls for a national socioeconomic and caste census to lay the groundwork for affirmative action. There is no mention of a wealth redistribution plan.