Sam Pitroda back as Indian Overseas Congress chief, Months after resigning over racist slur

Only one month after he resigned, Gandhi family ally Sam Pitroda was re-appointed as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC). Following a backlash caused by his politically incorrect comments about India’s diversity, he resigned.

Pitroda highlighted India’s multicultural fabric in his remarks, which were met with condemnation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief ministers in the Northeast. “People in the East look like the Chinese, people in the West look like the Arabs, people in the North look like, maybe, White, and people in the South look like Africans. It does not matter. All of us are brothers and sisters,” he said.

Pitroda’s comments drew harsh criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who asked, “Can we decide a person’s merit based on skin color? Who permitted the ‘Shehzada’ (Rahul Gandhi) to look down on my people like that? We will not accept this racist mentality!”

His resignation due to the controversy was accepted by the Congress party during the Lok Sabha election campaign. Pitroda’s comparisons were separated from the party by senior Congress politician Jairam Ramesh, who referred to comments as “most unfortunate and unacceptable.”

Role in Indian Politics and Governance

In response, Modi questioned the rationale of judging people’s abilities only based on their skin tone. Pitroda’s comments were denounced by him, and he emphasized that insults based on skin color would not be accepted in this country.

Despite Pitroda’s divisive remarks that embarrassed the party during the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi correctly anticipated that the Congress party would restore Pitroda as head of the Indian Overseas Congress following the Lok Sabha elections.

In an interview conducted during the election campaign, Modi said that the Congress had forced their “US-based guru” to leave temporarily and that they frequently used figures like Pitroda to promote particular ideologies. But within a few days, Modi said, the Congress would bring Pitroda back.

Pitroda has a lengthy history of serving the public as a technocrat and close associate of Rahul Gandhi. He was the first chairman of the Telecom Commission in 1989. Under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he also commanded the National Knowledge Commission from 2005 to 2009.

Pitroda was immediately reinstated by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in recognition of his experience and services. Pitroda’s reappointment to the IOC leadership indicates the party’s dedication to interacting with the Indian diaspora and enhancing its global footprint.

You might also be interested in – Sam Pitroda resigns as chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, amid pushbacks