It's controversial/ Sam Pitroda's Controversial Streak Continues: 5 Times When Rahul's Mentor Left Congress in Hot Water

New Delhi: The controversy surrounding Sam Pitroda, a former adviser to late former PM Rajiv Gandhi and a close associate of Rahul Gandhi seems to be far from dying down. Days after describing the 'inheritance tax' in the United States as an 'interesting law', Pitroda, has stirred new trouble for Congress with his racist remark.   Commenting on the diversity of India's population, Pitroda sparked a row stating that individuals in the East resemble those of Chinese descent, while those in the South have features akin to Africans. "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 Africa. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters," said Pitroda during an interview with The Statesman.

The party has distanced itself from Pitroda's racial slur. "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," party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said on 'X'. However, this is not the first time Pitroda has left the Congress party red-faced. 

Pitroda's Controversial Comments

• Inheritance Tax Row: Last month, Pitroda stirred a political row with his ‘US has inheritance tax’ remark, which put the Congress party in a soup. Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘redistribution of wealth remark’ Pitroda said, "If one has $100 million 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." "In India, we do not have such provisions. If an individual is worth 10 billion and passes away, their children inherit the entire sum, leaving nothing for the public... These are the discussions and debates that people will need to engage in," he added.  
• Ram Mandir Construction: At an event in the US, Pitroda made headlines by asserting that discussions in India rarely touch upon crucial issues such as inflation, employment, and education. Instead, he remarked, the discourse tends to revolve around religious themes like Ram, Hanuman, and Mandir.  “When the entire nation is hung up on Ram Temple and Ram Janmabhoomi, it bothers me…To me, religion is something very personal, and national issues are education, employment, growth, the economy, inflation, health, the environment, and pollution. But no one speaks about it,” he had said.
• Middle-Class People Should Not Be ‘Selfish’: Pitroda had left the Congress party in a soup in April 2019 by saying that the middle class should pay more taxes to guarantee a minimum income for poor households, asking them not to be 'selfish'. 
• Pulwama: In Feb 2019, Pitroda had sparked a heated debate with his remarks on the Pulwama attack. He had said, “I don’t know much about attacks. It happens all the time. The attack happened in Mumbai, also. We could have then reacted and just sent our planes, but that is not the right approach. According to me, that’s not how you deal with the world."
• 1984 Sikh Riots: During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP claimed that “instructions” for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots came from Rajiv Gandhi, Pitroda denied the charge but had said, “Ab kya hai ’84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. ’84 mein hua to hua. Aapne kya kiya?”  

PM Modi Lambasts ‘Shehzade’s Philosopher'

Reacting strongly to Sam Pitroda's racist slur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lambasted Rahul Gandhi and said India will not tolerate this insult. 'I want to ask a serious question today...I am very angry today, if someone abuses me I can take it but this philosopher of 'Shehzada' has given such a big abuse that has filled me with anger. Will the potential of the people of the country be decided on the skin colour? asked PM Modi while addressing a public gathering in Warangal, Telangana.

Launching a scathing attack on Rahul, PM Modi further said, “Who gave this right to 'Shehzada'? The people dancing with the Consitution on their heads are insulting my countrymen on the basis of their skin colour. Shehzade aapko jawaab dena padega'. My country will not tolerate the disrespect of my countrymen on the basis of their skin colour and Modi will never tolerate this."

Comparing Pitroda with the third umpire in cricket, PM Modi asserted,"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."

Upping the ante further, PM Modi said, "I was thinking a lot that Droupadi Murmu who has a very good reputation and is the daughter of the Adiwasi (tribal) family, then why is Congress trying so hard to defeat her but today I got to know the reason. 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...", PM Modi said.