Union Minister Kiren Rijiju slams Congress over Pitroda's remark, says "bizarre statement"

New Delhi [India], May 8 : Union Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the Congress on Wednesday over remarks made by party leader Sam Pitroda about the appearance of Indians, calling Pitroda's statement "bizarre." He said that the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda, has categorized Indians based on different looks, which could lead to a split in thinking regarding unity and integrity.
Speaking to ANI, the Union Minister said, "We should not take Sam Pitroda's statement lightly because he is the media advisor to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and also he had been an advisor friend of late PM Rajiv Gandhi. What Pitroda thinks and says is what the Congress party is actually saying. Pitroda has a foreign mindset. His ideas and thinking are very alien to the Indian system and culture, and that is what Rahul Gandhi is also all about."
Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, Rijiju said, "Rahul Gandhi loves to stay outside whether it is Italy or the US or wherever. He comes to India during elections or to make some statement. Pitroda's statement is very dangerous and damaging. He has categorized Indians based on different looks, which can lead to very split in thinking in terms of our unity and integrity. Now to tell that South Indians look like Africans, North Easterners look like Chinese, Western Indians are like Arabs, and North Indians are like white people, this is a bizarre statement."
He further emphasized that despite differences in appearance, food, and culture, Indians should not be compared with people from other foreign countries.
"How can an Indian ever think about making such statements? I have taken serious exception to this particular statement. We are talking about India as a unified nation. There may be differences in our appearances, food, culture, and basic daily practices; there may be some differences, but that doesn't mean that we should be compared with people from other foreign countries in terms of looks," the Union Minister said.
When asked about an apology from Congress leaders, Rijiju said that there was no point in seeking an apology from them, adding that justifications made by other party leaders are irrelevant.
"There's no point in seeking an apology from them. It has been their character, and for other Congress leaders making any justification doesn't make sense because they are irrelevant. Actual Congress leaders are Pitroda and Rahul Gandhi. Sam Pitroda's statement is Rahul Gandhi's statement because Gandhi draws all ideas, opinions, and inspiration from Pitroda," he said.
Sam Pitroda courted a new controversy by trying to explain India's diversity, saying, "We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people on the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arabs, people on the North look like white, and maybe people on the South look like Africans."
Pitroda had earlier courted controversies with his remarks on sensitive issues. The most recent was when he advocated for an inheritance tax-like law in the country. However, the Congress officially distanced itself from Pitroda's comments, stating that they did not reflect the views of the party at all times. Now, the Congress overseas Chairman has put the Congress in a difficult position with his latest comments.