Sam Pitroda's Racial Remarks Spark Controversy, Force Resignation Amidst Lok Sabha Elections

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Sam Pitroda sparked another controversy when he compared South Indians to Africans, embarrassing his party and handing over to the BJP another issue to attack the Opposition. Sure enough, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP's all-out attack on the Congress over Mr Pitroda's racial analogy, forcing the grand old party on the back foot and its overseas chief to resign on Wednesday.

Speaking to a news outlet, Mr Pitroda described India as a "... diverse country... where people in the east look like Chinese, people in the west look like Arabs, people in the north look like maybe whites, and people in the south look like Africans".

Campaigning in Telangana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to pounce on Mr Pitroda’s remark, claiming that the Congress sought to defeat President Droupadi Murmu in the presidential poll as her "skin colour is dark".

Hitting out at the Congress, Mr Modi demanded a response from Rahul Gandhi, saying that the country "won't tolerate disrespect on the basis of the colour of skin".

Repeating his "shehzada” (prince) barb for Mr Gandhi, Mr Modi said, "Shehzade, you will have to answer. The country will not tolerate the disrespect of our countrymen on the basis of their skin color. Modi will definitely not tolerate it."

Caught in a tricky situation, the Congress immediately "distanced" itself from the racist remarks. By Wednesday evening, Mr Pitroda had resigned from the post of chief of the India Overseas Congress.

Taking to X, Jairam Ramesh said, “ Mr Pitroda has decided to step down as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Congress president has accepted his decision.”

He added: "The analogies given by Mr Pitroda for India's diversity are extremely wrong and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely disassociates itself from these analogies."

However, the BJP was unrelenting in its attack on the Congress over Mr Pitroda’s statement. The party's Tamil Nadu unit chief K. Annamalai said the Congress mindset and thinking believe that India is a land of invaders and we are descendants of invaders and only the Congress, which has its masters outside the country, can go to the extent where it can call Indians descendants of invaders.

Condemning Mr Pitroda's remarks, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “After I heard Mr Pitroda's statement, I looked at myself in the mirror and I appear as a proud Assamese and Indian, not as a Chinese... This is a racist comment."

Mr Sarma also attacked Mr Gandhi for not “disowning" Mr Pitroda yet. “Those who are near Mr Gandhi always insult the Northeast. The people of the Northeast are proud Indians. You should never challenge our nationalism... Mr Pitroda and Mr Gandhi are not two separate people. Mr Pitroda is Mr Gandhi's friend, philosopher and guide. Why are you (the Congress) not disowning him (Mr Pitroda)?... How is this a useless issue? This issue is connected to our sentiments. You are completely advocating racism," Mr Sarma said.

BJP national secretary Anil K. Antony said Mr Pitroda's statement is 'definitely disappointing, "it is with clear racial overtones and in poor taste".

"But we shouldn't forget that he is the core advisor of Mr Gandhi. These kinds of statements from the high-positioned leaders in the Congress party once again make it clear to the people of India that in this election they should choose the BJP-led NDA under the leadership of Mr Modi.”

Distancing itself from Mr Pitroda's remark, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said none of the members of the INDIA bloc support the Congress leader's alleged racist remarks and accused the BJP of "hating" the dalits.

A few weeks back, Mr Pitroda had got the Congress into another embarrassing situation when he talked about inheritance tax. The Congress had to distance itself from Mr Pitroda's statement at that time too.