Indian Overseas Congress President Sam Pitroda has sparked a controversy with his statement saying that people in South India “look like Africans”, those in the East look like “Chinese” and those in the West on “Arabs”.
In an interview with 'The Statesman' newspaper, Pitroda, while talking about India's diversity, said, “We have survived for 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, except for a few fights here and there. We could hold together a country as diverse as India, where the people in the East look like Chinese, the people in the West look like Arabs, the people in the North look like whites and maybe the people in the South look like Africans.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party has criticized Pitroda for his comments.
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Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma criticized Pitroda and said, “Sam bhai, I am from the Northeast and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country – we may look different but we are all one .Understand a little about our country!”
Saffron party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also joined the criticism, claiming that “these were racist comments from a man who is Rahul Gandhi's guru”.
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“It is the words and thinking of Rahul Gandhi just because nowadays Rahul is also playing the politics of divide and rule, to such an extent that first they divide on the basis of caste and language, and now they are doing it against Indians versus Indians. Indians are just like Chinese. Isn't this a racist comment? Isn't this insulting? Indians look like Africans. Isn't this the comment about the entire South population? dukaan” actually has “Nafrat ka saaman”. Unless Congress gives a full explanation and fires Sam Pitroda, this should be taken as Congress' statement,” Poonawalla said.
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BJP's Mandi Lok Sabha seat candidate Kangana Ranaut also said, “Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi's mentor. Listen to his racist and divisive jokes about Indians. Their entire ideology is about divide and rule. It is sickening to see fellow Indians as Chinese and African. Shame on Congress!”
Pitroda had previously caused controversy when he advocated an inheritance tax-like law in the country. However, the Congress had officially distanced itself from Pitroda's comments, saying they did not always reflect the party's views.
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Published: May 8, 2024 12:43 PM IST