Sam Pitroda returns; BJP reacts to 'controversial' move
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed the Congress for reinstating Sam Pitroda as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress a month after he resigned, calling his sacking "merely an election gimmick." The party also shared a clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he appears to predict Gandhi family loyalist Pitroda's reinstatement. Pitroda resigned from his role in May after a political outcry over his comments about the physical appearances of Indians from different regions.
Twitter Post
Watch PM Modi's prediction here
As PM Modi anticipated, the Congress' sacking of Sam Pitroda was merely an election gimmick. He has now been reinstated as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, exposing the hypocrisy of the Congress party and its leaders. pic.twitter.com/8Kkv37nsg3
— BJP (@BJP4India) June 26, 2024
Confirmation
Congress confirms Pitroda's return, assures no future controversies
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh confirmed Pitroda's return on Wednesday. He stated that Pitroda had clarified to the party leadership the context of his controversial statements and how they were misrepresented during the election campaign. Ramesh added that Pitroda has been reinstated with an assurance that he will not "leave room for such controversies to arise" in the future.
Statement
What did Pitroda say
While the Lok Sabha election was in full swing, Pitroda, who resides in the United States, made a statement that was deemed "racist" by many. "We could hold the country as diverse as India together. Where people in the east look like...Chinese, people in the west look like the Arabs, people in the north...like, maybe, white and people in the south look like Africans," he said. These comments quickly attracted widespread criticism, prompting the Congress to distance itself from them.
Congress reaction
Most unfortunate and unacceptable: Ramesh
At the time, Ramesh had said, "The analogies drawn by Mr Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable." The BJP, especially leaders from the Northeast, jumped at the opportunity, given that the region is all too often subjected to racism. Following this public disapproval from his own party, Pitroda had resigned from his position as the Indian Overseas Congress chief.
Critique
Pitroda is not new to controversies
A month before the racial controversy, Pitroda ignited another controversy while talking about the need for a policy toward wealth redistribution. "In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has $100 million...when he dies he can only transfer probably 45% to his children, 55% is grabbed by the government," he told ANI. "In India, you don't have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing," he asserted.