Sam Pitroda resigns as chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, amid pushbacks
Modi accused Congress of trying to divide nation on the basis of skin colour while Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments and called them “most unfortunate and unacceptable”
Sam Pitroda Resign : Response to Controversial Comments
Sam Pitroda has opted to quit as the head of the Indian Overseas Congress, and his resignation has been accepted by the Indian National Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
“Mr Sam Pitroda has decided to step down as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Congress president has accepted his decision,” Leading Congressman Jairam Ramesh, a member of parliament, stated in a message on social media on Wednesday night that the Congress president had accepted his choice.
Fallout from Pitroda’s Remarks: Political Repercussions and Criticism
The commotion that Pitroda caused on Wednesday with his comments that “people of the east look like the Chinese and those of the south look like Africa” is what inspired this.
In a podcast Mr. Pitroda said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside a few fights here and there,” he said in a podcast that was widely circulated on social media.
“We could hold the country, as diverse as India, together. Where people in the east look like the Chinese, people in the west look like the Arabs, people in the north look like, maybe, white, and people in the south look like Africans. It does not matter. All of us are brothers and sisters. We respect different languages, different religions, different customs, different foods.”
The Congressman’s “racist” comment was then criticised by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who claimed it revealed the mentor of Rahul Gandhi’s mentality and outlook.
Political Discourse and Reactions: BJP’s Critique and AAP’s Response
In a post on X, Sitharaman said, “I am from South India. I look Indian! My team has enthusiastic members from northeast India. They look Indian! My colleagues from west India look Indian!”
Prime Minister Modi declared during a Warangal rally that he now knew President Droupadi Murmu was targeted by the Congress in the presidential election because of her “dark skin tone.”
The Prime Minister brought up the remark at his rallies in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, as the BJP quickly seized upon it.
“I do not get angry if someone abuses me. Today, the philosopher of ‘shehzada’ [prince] has inflicted such a big abuse that I am full of anger. Will people’s abilities in our country be decided by the colour of their skin? Who has allowed the shehzada to play this game of skin?”Mr. Modi asked.
Additionally, Mr. Modi stated whether or not Congress Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah of Karnataka and A. Revanth Reddy of Telangana would accept “such an accusation.” He also inquired as to whether M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, would sever the DMK’s connection with the Congress out of pride in Tamil culture. “Do they possess the courage?” inquired the Prime Minister.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar mentioned Mr. Pitroda’s lengthy connection to the Gandhi family during a different news conference, claiming he was outlining Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s vision for India.
As the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls went on, according to BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, the Congress was becoming more and more transparent, and the main concern was no longer elections but rather India’s continued existence. Replying to further statements made by Mr. Pitroda at the press conference, the BJP MP stated that the Congress leader thought that matters such as the Ram temple and Mr. Modi’s temple visits presented a threat to India’s democracy.
The Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also released a statement in which he said that Pitroda’s remarks are not supported by any members of the INDIA bloc.
Prior to this, Pitroda incited controversy by stating that these are matters that must be addressed while discussing the idea of an inheritance tax that is now in place in America.
Pitroda attempted to downplay the criticism that resulted from his remarks by claiming that he had simply used the US inheritance tax as an example. Even back then, the Congress had disassociated itself from the remarks.
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