Sam Pitroda re-appointed Indian Overseas Congress chairman
What's the story
Gandhi family loyalist Sam Pitroda was on Wednesday reinstated as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. This comes just a month after he stepped down from the position following backlash over his comments on India's diversity. In an interview to The Statesman, Pitroda had said, "People in the East look like...Chinese, people in...West look like the Arabs, people in the North look like, maybe, White, and people in the South look like Africans...All of us are brothers and sisters."
Backlash ensues
PM's salvo at Pitroda's remarks
Notably, Pitroda had made the comments during the Lok Sabha elections. His comments had sparked sharp criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministers in the Northeast. At a rally in Telangana, PM Modi had jibed at Pitroda's statement, "Can people's ability be decided on the basis of their skin colour?" Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma had also condemned Pitroda's remarks.
Resignation follows
Congress distances itself from Pitroda's statements
In the wake of the controversy, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said, "The analogies drawn by Mr Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable." He added that the party "completely dissociates itself from these analogies." Following this public disapproval from his own party, Pitroda had resigned from his position as the Indian Overseas Congress chief.
Backgrounds
Pitroda's political journey
In 1989, Pitroda became the inaugural chairman of the Telecom Commission and later led the National Knowledge Commission from 2005 to 2009 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In 2009, he was appointed as an adviser to the Prime Minister on public information infrastructure, holding the rank of a Cabinet minister. Additionally, Pitroda organizes international speaking engagements for Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, among other activities.