New Delhi: The Congress Wednesday reappointed Sam Pitroda as the chairperson of its overseas unit, less than two months after he “stepped down” from the position over his controversial remarks on India’s diversity.
Pitroda’s comments, in the middle of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, had left the Congress scurrying for cover, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi playing up the Gandhi family’s ties with the veteran technocrat.
On Wednesday, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal issued a press statement notifying the reappointment of Pitroda as the chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Congress had announced on 8 May that Pitroda had stepped down from the post “on his own accord”. It was seen as a damage control act by the party as Pitroda’s comments on inheritance tax had also landed the party in a soup.
In an interview with The Statesman in early May, Pitroda had said that the people in eastern India look like the “Chinese”, those in the west look like “Arabs”, those in the north like “white” people, while those in the south like people from “Africa”.
He made the statement while speaking about India’s diversity and democracy.
“We hold a country together as diverse as India where in the east people look like Chinese, people in west look like Arab, people in north look like white and in south look like Africa (sic). Doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters,” Pitroda said.
Earlier, citing the example of inheritance tax in some US states, Pitroda had suggested that Indians, too, should debate the issue.
“In America… if one has $100 million worth of wealth, when he dies, he can only transfer probably 45 percent to his children… 55 percent is grabbed by the government,” Pitroda told ANI in an interview.
Modi, addressing a poll rally, had taunted the Congress over Pitroda’s remarks, saying the latter was Rahul Gandhi’s “philosophical guide”.
“Today I found out why the Congress was trying so hard to defeat Droupadi Murmu, daughter of a tribal. Today I got to know that Shehzade’s uncle lives in America and that this uncle is his philosophical guide who has exposed his secret. He has said that those who have black skin are from Africa. This means that you are abusing several people of the country on the basis of their skin colour,” Modi said.
Modi had been referring to Rahul Gandhi as shehzada (prince) in his public speeches.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)
Also read: If the Congress were truly a democratic party, Sam Pitroda would be a nobody
Sure, here’s a concise and effective comment you could use to highlight the best aspects of a recently designed website: “Absolutely blown away by the new website! The design is stunningly modern, navigation is intuitive, and it beautifully reflects our brand’s essence. Kudos to the team for creating such a seamless user experience!”