The BJP has called the reappointment of Sam Pitroda as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, weeks after he resigned from the post following controversial "racist" remarks, "an election gimmick".
The BJP took a swipe at the Congress for the move, in a post on X. "As PM Modi anticipated, the Congress' sacking of Sam Pitroda was merely an election gimmick. He has now been reinstated as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, exposing the hypocrisy of the Congress party and its leaders," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on X.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also took a jibe at the Congress, reiterating the racist charges against Pitroda. Sharing a post on X, the Union Minister wrote, "Prime Minister Modi ji has already said! Rahul Gandhi Ji’s adviser who said, South Indians look like Africans, North-Eastern people look Chinese, West Indians are like Arabs & North Indian are whites, is reinstated. We are not surprised as PM @narendramodi ji had predicted."
Pitroda triggered a major controversy during the elections when his remarks on the physical appearance of Indians. During an interview, Pitroda said people of the country have "survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together leaving a few fights here and there". "We could hold together a country as diverse as India -- where people on the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in the South look like Africans. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters," said Pitroda during the interview.
However, the remarks triggered a row with the BJP calling it a shocking, despicable and disgusting comment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an election rally in Telangana, too slammed Pitroda for "abusing several people of the country on the basis of their skin colour."
Before that, Pitroda's reference to inheritance tax in the United States while discussing the Congress' Lok Sabha poll manifesto gave the ruling BJP a potent handle to accuse the opposition party of eying citizens' assets as part of its "redistribution of wealth" policy.
The Congress, after issuing a statement reappointing Pitroda, said the latter had clarified the context in which the controversial statements were made. "During the recent election campaign, Sam Pitroda had made some statements and comments that were totally unacceptable to the Indian National Congress. By mutual consent, he stepped down as Chairman of the Overseas Indian Congress.
"Subsequently he clarified the context in which statements were made and how they were later distorted by the Modi campaign. The Congress President has reappointed him on the assurance that he will not in future leave room for such controversies to arise," Ramesh said in a post on X.
Pitroda is considered a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and had been an advisor to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Often seen accompanying Rahul during his foreign visits, Pitroda has also arranged several interactions with Gandhi with students of foreign universities in the UK, the UAE and the US.
