Giving an online interview to a news portal, Indian Overseas Congress in charge Sam Pitroda said described India as a "diverse country" where "people in the East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africa".
Days after sparking controversy with his 'US-like inheritance tax' suggestion for India, Indian Overseas Congress In Charge Sam Pitroda on Wednesday triggered another row as he compared the appearance of Indians from different parts of the nation to that of Chinese, Arabs, Whites and Africans while talking about diversity.
Giving an online interview to a news portal, Sam Pitroda said described India as a "diverse country" where "people in the East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africa".
"We are a shining example of democracy in the world...we could hold country together as diverse as India where people in East look like Chinese, people in West look like Arab, people in North look like maybe white and people in South look like Africa, Sam Pitroda said in the interview to The Statesman.
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"Doesn't matter, we are all brothers and sisters," said the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.
The remarks led to reactions by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a public gathering in Telangana's Warangal on Tuesday, PM Modi the country will "not tolerate the disrespect on the basis of their skin colour".
"...'Shehzade aapko jawaab dena padega," PM Modi said in a question to Rahul Gandhi.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said "We may look different but we are all one"
"Sam bhai, I am from the North East 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! (Have some understanding about our country)," he said.
Kangana Ranaut, BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, also reacted to Pitroda's remark, calling it the "racists and divisive jibes for Indians".
"Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi’s mentor. Listen to his racist & divisive jibes for Indians. Their whole ideology is about divide & rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African. Shame on Congress!", Kangana wrote on X.
As BJP called out Sam Pitroda's 'racist' remarks, the Congress on Wednesday officially distanced the controversial statement, saying the analogies were "most unfortunate and unacceptable".
“The analogies drawn by Mr. Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies,” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
Last month, Sam Pitroda had stoked another controversy as he defended Congress's manifesto in an interview with news agency ANI, saying the policy of redistribution of wealth was in the interest of the people and not in the interest of the super-rich only.
Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda, said in an interview with news agency ANI, "In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has $100 million worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law."
The remark by Sam Pitroda, that was termed as an "own goal" for Congress, came under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amid an ongoing war of words between the two parties over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks that the Grand Old party wants to "redistribute wealth" of the people of India and sell Indian women's 'mangalsutras' to achieve their goal.