Sam Pitroda stirs hornet's nest again, says some Indians look like 'Chinese', 'Africans'

Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda, who recently created a political row by stating that India should adopt the concept of inheritance tax from the United States, created another stir with his comments on the country's diversity on Wednesday (May 8).

While speaking to The Statesman, Pitroda said how India's people "survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together leaving a few fights here and there."

“We could hold together a country as diverse as India — where people on the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arabs, people on the North look like maybe Whites and people in South India look like Africans. It doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters." 

"We all respect different languages, different religions, customs and food. That's the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit," he added. 

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PM Modi calls Pitroda's remarks 'very shameful' 

Reacting to Pitroda's remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "A close aide of Congress and biggest adviser of 'Prince' (Rahul Gandhi), what he said is very shameful. Congress feels that people of Northeast look like Chinese. Can a country accept such things?" 

"Congress feels that the people of South India look like Africans. I want to ask the Congress chief ministers of Karnataka and Telangana, can they accept such opinions?" he said at an election rally.

Assam CM reacts to Pitroda's comments

Senior BJP leaders, which included Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh slammed Pitroda's comments. 

Taking to X, Sarma wrote, "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."

"Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo! (Please understand at least something about our country)," he said.

BJP leaders Kangana Ranaut, Shehzad Poonawalla slam Pitroda's comments as 'divisive' and 'disgusting'

Actor-turned-politician and BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, reacting to Pitroda's comments called them "racist" and "divisive". 

"Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi's mentor. Listen to his racist and divisive jibes for Indians. Their whole (the Congress') ideology is about divide and rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African. Shame on Congress!" Ranaut said.

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BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said that Pitroda's remarks were "shocking, despicable and disgusting".

"He is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi. It is the word, spirit, vocabulary and ideology of Rahul Gandhi... First, they divided on the basis of caste, religion and language. Now, they are dividing Indian vs. Indian. And to make a comment like Indians are like Chinese, isn't it a racist comment? Isn't it insulting and objectionable ?" he said.

Congress dissociates itself from Pitroda's remarks 

Reacting to Sam Pitroda's remarks, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, "Analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies."

(With inputs from agencies)