Pitroda resigned from the post on May 8 after he courted a controversy with his ‘racist’ remarks in an interview with The Statesman.
Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda (Photo: IANS/File)
Congress on Wednesday reappointed Sam Pitroda the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.
Pitroda resigned from the post on May 8 after he courted controversy with his ‘racist’ remarks in an interview with The Statesman.
“Congress President (Mallikarjun Kharge) has reappointed Sam Pitroda as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress with immediate effect,” read a communiqué issued by Congress General Secretary in-charge of Organisation KC Venugopal.
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In an interview with The Statesman, Pitroda said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside a few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people in the East look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arab, people in the North look like white and maybe people in the South look like Africans… doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters.”
He further said, “We all respect different languages, religions, different looks, customs and food. That’s the India I believe in where everybody has a place.”
Following the controversy, the Congress party distanced itself from Pitroda’s remarks and termed it unfortunate and unacceptable. “The analogies drawn by Mr Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India’s diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable,” Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh had said in a video message.
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