‘Won’t tolerate insult on basis of skin colour’: PM Modi hits out at Sam Pitroda’s ‘look like Chinese’ remark
‘Won’t tolerate insult on basis of skin colour’: PM Modi hits out at Sam Pitroda’s ‘look like Chinese’ remark
Fresh remarks by Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda, where he seeks to emphasise the diversity of India, prompted a sharp reaction from the Prime Minister as well as BJP chief ministers from the Northeast. In an interview to The Statesman, Pitroda has said, “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.”
At a rally on Wednesday, Modi referred to the remarks and said, “Shehzada (a reference to Rahul Gandhi) will have to answer. The nation and Modi will not tolerate insulting our citizens on the basis of skin colour.”
Assam Chief Minister and chairman of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance Himanta Biswa Sarma also pointed to the statement and said, “Sam bhai. I am from the North East 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 (learn about our nation a bit)!”
Manipur’s BJP Chief Minister N Biren Singh took a more aggressive stance and called the statement “racist.”
“I condemn Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s racist comment against the people of Northeast. The Congress has always tried to divide India with their Divide and Rule policy. But they must know that the NE has been a part of India and always will be. Such a mockery of India’s diversity is highly unacceptable,” he said, demanding that the Indian National Congress and Pitroda issue a public apology.
Congress’s Jairam Ramesh distanced his party from Pitroda’s comments: “The analogies drawn by Mr. Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India’s diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies.”
Pitroda had stoked a controversy last month too, when he said that the inheritance tax in America was an interesting law and could be among issues that people in India debate and discuss. This was turned by the BJP into an electoral issue, with leaders bringing it up during election rallies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that the Congress will impose an inheritance tax and “snatch” the inheritance of voters’ children.
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