In response to Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s controversial comments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Giriraj Singh, along with Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, have vehemently criticised his statements.
In an interview with a national daily, Pitroda remarked, “We could hold together a country as diverse as Bharat – 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.”
PM Modi rebuked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for the remarks, labelling them as an “insult to several people of the country on the basis of their skin colour.” Pitroda’s earlier comments, stating that people in East India resembled the Chinese and those from South India looked like Africans, stirred controversy.
“I can tolerate it when abuses are hurled at me, but not when they are hurled at my people. Can we decide a person’s merit based on skin colour?” PM Modi asserted during a poll rally in Telangana’s Warangal district.
“No matter what the colour of one’s skin is, we are the people who worship Lord Krishna. I am very angry today. The people who keep the Constitution above their heads are insulting people on the basis of their skin color,” expressed PM Modi.
“Who permitted shehzaada (prince in reference to Rahul Gandhi) to look down on my people like that? Shehzaade, you will have to answer. We will not accept this racist mentality,” asserted the PM.
Further in his address, PM Modi said that “since President Droupadi Murmu also hails from a tribal family, the Congress tries very hard to defeat her” as well.
“I got to know that there is an ‘uncle’ in America who is the philosopher of the shehzaada. And just like the third umpire in cricket, this shehzaada takes his advice from the third umpire,” he said.
“When you gave the BJP a chance in 2014, we gave you a Dalit President, Ram Nath Kovind. Again, in 2019, we gave the country an Adivasi President, Droupadi Murmu.”
Following Sam Pitroda’s controversial remarks, the Congress swiftly distanced itself from the comments, while the BJP criticized them as “racist.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to X, labelling Pitroda’s remarks as “most unfortunate and unacceptable.” He stated, “The analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda to illustrate Bharat’s diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies.”
Responding to PM Modi’s reaction to Pitroda’s remarks, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in an interaction with the ANI news agency, criticised the PM for diverting attention from important issues. She remarked, “PM Modi talks about useless things only. He should instead focus on important things like employment, inflation, torture against women.”
Among prominent BJP leaders condemning Pitroda, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the remarks revealed that the “Congress is inherently today focussed on dividing India, dividing Indians on caste, creed, identity and geography”.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman posted, “I am from South Bharat. I look Indian! My team has enthusiastic members from Northeast Bharat. They look Indian! My colleagues from West Bharat look Indian!
“But, for the racist who is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi, we all look African, Chinese, Arab and the White! Thanks for revealing your mindset and your attitude. INDI alliance’s shame!”
Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh sought apologies from Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X, “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.”
