Sam Pitroda, the Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, resigned from his post on Wednesday evening. This was after he made a controversial analogy to depict India’s diversity which led to a political uproar.
Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge has accepted Pitroda’s resignation. Jairam Ramesh, the party’s general secretary in-charge of communications, confirmed the news and mentioned that Pitroda had decided to step down from his position on his own.
In a podcast, Pitroda used ethnic and racial identities such as Chinese, Arabs, Whites, and Africans to describe how Indians from different parts of the country look. This comment landed the Congress in trouble amid the Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP called his comments “racist” and asserted that people will not tolerate the attempt to insult them on the basis of their skin colour.
The Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s remarks, calling them “unfortunate” and “unacceptable”. Ramesh also issued a statement on X, dissociating the Indian National Congress from Pitroda’s analogies.
श्री सैम पित्रोदा ने अपनी मर्ज़ी से इंडियन ओवरसीज कांग्रेस के अध्यक्ष पद से इस्तीफ़ा देने का फ़ैसला किया है। कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने उनका इस्तीफ़ा स्वीकार कर लिया है।
Mr. Sam Pitroda has decided to step down as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Congress…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 8, 2024
