After coming under severe criticism over his racist remarks, Sam Pitroda, chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, on Wednesday, May 8, stepped down from the post. The announcement was made by Congress party’s communications-in-charge Jairam Ramesh.
"Mr. Sam Pitroda has decided to step down as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Congress President has accepted his decision," said Jairam Ramesh.
In an interview with The Statesman, Sam compared several Indian citizens to various nationalities while speaking about the country’s diversity. He said, “We are a shining example of democracy. We could hold the country together as diverse as India where people in the east look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arabs, and people in the north may look like whites and people from the south look like Africans.”
Following this, several people took to social media platforms condemning the offensive analogy. Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including PM Narendra Modi also criticised Sam’s remarks.
Addressing an election rally in Warangal, PM Modi said that he is quite angry over the remarks made by Pitroda, whom he referred to as Rahul Gandhi's "uncle, guide and philosopher" who lives in the United States.
He made it clear that the country will not tolerate any insult to the people in the name of their skin colour.
"I got to know that there is an uncle in America who is the philosophical guide of 'Shehzada' and just like the third umpire in cricket this 'Shehzada' takes advice from the third umpire. This philosophical uncle said that those who have black skin are from Africa. This means that you are abusing several people in the country on the basis of their skin colour," said PM Modi.
"He has abused people of my country in the name of their skin colour... However, as your PM and one among you, I affirm that we are all children of Lord Shri Krishna, and we are all equal, regardless of race or creed," the PM added.
He further said that now it is clear why the Congress party had opposed Droupadi Murmu's candidature as the President of India.
"Now I have understood that on the basis of the skin colour, they believed that Droupadi Murmu is also African and since her skin colour is black, she should be defeated," he said.