(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Sam Pitroda has stepped down as the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) as a political row erupted over his racist remarks. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Sam Pitroda has resigned“of his own accord” and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge has accepted his decision Pitroda has been leaving Congress red-faced after some of his remarks did not go well in the political circles at a crucial time when India is voting to elect its next government at the Centre recent remarks, referring to how people in the South“look like Africans and those in the East looks like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese” while explaining unity in Indian diversity has ignited a firestorm, prompting Congress to distance itself Pitroda said,“We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people on east look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like white and maybe people on South look like Africans.”A few days ago, Sam Pitroda had stroked controversy with his remark on the concept of“inheritance tax” in the United States Read | 'Looked at myself in mirror and I appeared...': Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sam Pitroda's 'Chinese, African' remark\"In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,\" Sam Pitroda had said his comments snowballed into a controversy, Sam Pitroda said he only spoke about this concept in America. \"Who said 55 per cent will be taken away? Who said something like this should be done in India? Why is BJP and media in panic? I mentioned US inheritance tax in the US only as an example in my normal conversation on TV. Can I not mention facts? I said these are the kind of issues people will have to discuss and debate. This has nothing to do with policy of any party including congress,\" Sam Pitroda said.
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