(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda, known for his contentious remarks, has ignited yet another controversy while advocating for national unity. In an exclusive interview with The Statesman, Pitroda described India as a diverse nation, stating, "People in the East look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arab, people in the North look like maybe White, and people in the South look like Africa."
The Congress party has swiftly distanced itself from Pitroda's statement.
"The analogies given by Sam Pitroda to India's diversity are extremely wrong and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely disassociates itself from these analogies," senior leader Jairam Ramesh said on X.
The remark has drawn condemnation from senior BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his Assam counterpart, Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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During his address in Warangal, PM Modi
said that the people of India would not tolerate such derogatory comments. He called upon Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to provide an explanation for the remarks.
"Shehzade (Rahul Gandhi), you will have to answer, My country will not tolerate the disrespect of my countrymen on the basis of their skin color and Modi will never tolerate this," PM Modi said.
Sarma expressed his disagreement with Pitroda's statement on Twitter, posting, "Sam bhai, I am from the northeast, 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! (Please understand at least something about our country)" the senior BJP leader hit back at Pitroda.
Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut, the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, joined the chorus of criticism, denouncing Pitroda's remarks as "racist" and "divisive."
"Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi's mentor. Listen to his racist and divisive jibes for Indians. Their whole (the Congress') ideology is about divide and rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African. Shame on Congress!" she said.
"He is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi. It is the word, spirit, vocabulary and ideology of Rahul Gandhi... First, they divided on the basis of caste, religion and language. Now, they are dividing Indian vs. Indian. And to make a comment like Indians are like Chinese, isn't it a racist comment? Isn't it insulting and objectionable ? It shows 'Congress
ki Mohabbat ki Dukan
actually has 'nafrat' and 'racism ka saman'," said BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla.
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BJP leader Annamalai too slammed Pitroda's remarks stating, "This is not only strongly condemnable, it is also not only feeling disgusting to us, but it also shows the mindset of Congress, and this is why our PM says we need a Congress-mukt Bharat."
Pitroda's remarks came in response to a question regarding one of the key issues the Congress aims to highlight in the 2024 Lok Sabha election - the concern that if the BJP secures victory, it may seek to fundamentally alter the socio-economic fabric of the country, potentially including changes to the Constitution.
Meanwhile, a meme fest exploded on X, formerly Twitter, with several netizens trolling Pitroda for his recent racist remarks. Here's a look at some of the memes that carpet bombed the Congress leader:
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