remarks by Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda prompted a sharp reaction from several leaders, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday.
"I am from South India. I look Indian! My team has enthusiastic members from north east India. They look Indian! My colleagues from west India look Indian! But, for the racist who is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi, we all look African, Chinese, Arab and the White! Thanks for revealing your mindset," Sitharaman wrote in a retort to Pitroda's remark that “People in the East look Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North like, maybe, White, and people in the South look like African.”
Pitroda made the remark in an interview to a paper where he was discussing India's status as a democratic example, said the country'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 East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab...It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters," Pitroda said during the interview.
As Pitroda came under fire for his comments, Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh took to X and said, "The analogies drawn by Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for Pitroda's howler. PM said, "Aapko jawaab dena padega (You will have to answer for this). My country will not tolerate the disrespect of my countrymen on the basis of their skin colour and Modi will never tolerate this."