Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 9 (ANI): Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Dr Premchand Bairwa on Thursday criticized Sam Pitroda’s controversial remark, calling it an insult to Indian culture.
“Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi’s guru since Rahul Gandhi keeps talking about Italy so obviously his Guru will say things like this…this is an insult to our Indian culture. We are Indians and we are proud of our culture…if we are all together in nation-building, in the whole world we will have an identity. PM Modi has dedicated his entire life to this…his vision is to make the country developed,” he told ANI.
Sam Pitroda sparked controversy when he made a statement about the diversity of India, commenting on how people in the South “look like Africans, those in the West look like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese.”
His remarks caused a major political uproar during the election season and embarrassed Congress. As a result, Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s remarks and he resigned as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress on Wednesday evening.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday condemned the remarks of former Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda and demanded an “apology” from the Congress.
Speaking to the media at his official residence, CM Yogi said, “Sam Pitroda, the advisor and guide of the Congress leadership, espouses the party’s historical divide-and-rule tactic.
“Congress was responsible for the partition of the country in 1947. Even after independence, the party committed the sin of dividing the country along caste, regional, and linguistic lines. Congress must apologise to the nations for Pitroda’s comments,” he said.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi slammed Pitroda over his remark and said that the latter has given a very “objectionable” statement on India, its culture and the identity of the people.
Addressing a press conference here today, Trivedi said, “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 infiltrated 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.”
Pitroda had earlier courted controversy with his remarks on sensitive issues. The most recent was when he advocated for an inheritance tax-like law in the country.
Emphasising the need for policy towards wealth redistribution, Pitroda elaborated on the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America.
“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Pitroda said. (ANI)
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