PM Narendra Modi slams ‘American uncle’ Sam Pitroda over skin colour remark
Addressing a rally in Warangal, PM Modi demanded an answer from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Hours after Congress leader Sam Pitroda's remark triggered a massive row, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the people of the country will not tolerate insults on the basis of skin colour. Addressing a rally in Warangal, PM Modi demanded answers from Congress stalwart Rahul Gandhi.
"Shehzade (Rahul Gandhi), you will have to answer. My country will not tolerate the disrespect of my countrymen on the basis of their skin colour. Modi will never tolerate this," he said.
PM Modi alleged that Congress was against President Droupadi Murmu because of her skin colour.
“I was thinking a lot about (President) Droupadi Murmu, who has a very good reputation and is the daughter of the Adivasi family. Why was Congress trying so hard to defeat her? Today I got to know the reason,” he added.
PM Modi referred to Sam Pitroda as American uncle.
"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 of the country on the basis of their skin colour," he added.
PM Modi was apparently reacting to Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda's remark that people in the North East look like the Chinese.
Sam Pitroda, in an interview with The Statesman earlier this month, said people of different skin colours and appearances live in the country with unity.
“We have survived 70-75 years, in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside a few fights here and there. We could hold the 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, maybe White, and people in South look like Africans. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called Sam Pitroda's remark racist and divisive. The party said the remark also displayed the Congress leader's scant understanding of India and its culture.
"I am saying it again, since the leadership of Congress was assumed by those of foreign origin, they started looking at Indians in the North, South, East and West parts of being foreign origin. This is the battle of the idea of India on the question of India's identity and its existence. This is the foreign mindset that was infused in our minds by the Mughals and Britishers, that we all are outsiders and India was just an inn... Congress mindset is clear – their concept is 'Bharat ko andar se todo, bahar se jodo'," said BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, the Congress called the analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda "unfortunate and unacceptable".
“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,” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
With inputs from ANI
