Sam Pitroda resigns from Indian Overseas Congress post controversial remark

Guwahati, May 9: Following the remarks that sparked outrage across the country, Congress leader Sam Pitroda tendered his resignation as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress on Wednesday.

This was confirmed by Congress General Secretary 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,” Ramesh posted on X.

This comes after he stoked controversy with his remarks, saying that Indians in the east look like Chinese while people in the south look like Africans.

In an interview with The Statesmen, Pitroda was discussing India’s status as a democratic example. He said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving a few fights here and there.”

During the discussion, he sparked controversy by saying, “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 the south 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.

Following Pitroda’s controversial remarks, the Congress party immediately distanced itself, terming them “unfortunate and unacceptable.”

Senior Congress leader and communications in-charge of the party, Jairam Ramesh, said, “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.”