Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) lashed out at the Congress after Sam Pitroda was re-appointed as chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress, saying the move was “unacceptable”.
TDP Chittur MP Prasad Rao D told India Today that Pitroda’s controversial remarks that Indians in the East resemble the Chinese while those in the South look like Africans were “racist”.
“The Congress giving Sam Pitroda political designation is unacceptable. His comments were not taken out of context, he had made racist comments,” Prasad Rao said.
The development also invited backlash from the BJP, with IT cell head Amit Malviya saying the “tormentor of the middle class is back”. “Congress hoodwinks India, brings back Sam Pitroda soon after the elections. Hua toh Hua,” Malviya tweeted.
In another post, the BJP claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had predicted the Congress would reinstate Sam Pitroda after the Lok Sabha polls.
“As PM Modi anticipated, the Congress’ sacking of Sam Pitroda was merely an election gimmick,” the BJP said on X.
After being reinstated, Pitroda, speaking exclusively to India Today TV, said he quit the post as Prime Minister Narendra Modi started twisting his statements for political gains.
Sam Pitroda also defended his remarks, saying they were not racist. “Maybe the comparison was not that great. I am a human being and allowed to make mistakes,” he said.
Pitroda resigned from the post on May 8 after making a string of controversial statements during the Lok Sabha elections, inviting the wrath of the BJP.
While talking about diversity and democracy in India, Pitroda suggested that people in South India “look like Africans”, those in the West “look like Arabs”, and those in the East “look like Chinese”.
Days later, Pitroda again hit headlines after he made a reference to inheritance tax in the United States while discussing the Congress’s poll manifesto. The BJP had accused the Congress of planning to redistribute the wealth of the people.
Source Agencies
