Soon after Congress leader Sam Pitroda courted a new controversy by tagging people living in various regions of India with certain facial features, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said he is weighing in legal options to charge the Congress leader.
"How can he make such a racist comment? I highly condemn this type of racist words used by him. I will consult the legal expert if we can sue against the remark given by the chairman of Indian Overseas Congress," Mr Singh told ANI.
"This is very irresponsible, and he exposed that he does not know the geographical composition of India. The Congress has been doing this divide and rule policy. How can he say that the people from the northeast are like Chinese? We are a part of India; we do not belong to China. We are just Indians; all the northeast people live together," the Manipur Chief Minister said.
I condemn Congress leader, Sam Pitroida's racist comment against the people of Northeast.
— N.Biren Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@NBirenSingh) May 8, 2024
The Congress has always tried to divide India with their Divide and Rule policy. But they must know that NE has been a part of India and will always be.
Such a mockery in the India's...
In an interview with 'The Statesman', Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda trying to explain India's diversity, said, "We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people in the east look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arab, people in the north look like white and maybe people in the south look like Africans."
The BJP has hit back at Mr Pitroda over his 'racist' remarks.
The Congress party, however, distanced itself from Mr Pitroda's remarks. In a post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The analogies drawn by 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."
From the BJP, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was one of the first to react when he took to X and slammed Mr Pitroda over his remarks.
"Sam bhai, I am from the northeast and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country - we may look different, but we are all one. Understand a little about our country," he wrote on his X timeline.
Do you know that his real name is not Sam Pitroda? जो आदमी अपने माँ-बाप के दिए हुए नाम का सम्मान नहीं कर सकता, वह कैसे देश का सम्मान करेगा? pic.twitter.com/fiPa4ArLyT
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (Modi Ka Parivar) (@himantabiswa) May 8, 2024
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also took on the Congress for the comments made by Mr Pitroda.
"Rahul Gandhi's chief adviser says, South Indians look like Africans, all north-eastern people look Chinese, west Indians are like Arabs and north Indian are whites. The tone and tenor of this statement is to divide India... Shameful," he posted on X.
Rahul Gandhi's Chief Adviser says, South Indians look like Africans, all North-Eastern people look Chinese, West Indians are like Arabs & North Indian are whites. The tone & tenor of this statement is to divide India.. Shameful!
— Kiren Rijiju (मोदी का परिवार) (@KirenRijiju) May 8, 2024
Mr Pitroda had earlier courted controversies with his remarks on sensitive issues. The recent was when he had advocated an inheritance tax-like law in the country. However, the Congress had officially distanced itself from Mr Pitroda's comments then too, saying they did not reflect the view of the party at all times.
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