May 8th 2024.
In a surprising turn of events, Sam Pitroda, the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, has announced his resignation on Wednesday. This decision comes after his recent controversial remarks sparked criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party, who accused the Congress party of being "racist". Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary, confirmed that the party's chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, has accepted Pitroda's resignation.
Ramesh took to social media to share the news, stating that Pitroda had chosen to step down from his position as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress on his own. He also mentioned that the Congress President has accepted his decision. The sudden development comes after Pitroda's comments about different ethnic and racial identities during a podcast stirred up a political controversy. The Congress party was quick to distance itself from his words, calling them "most unfortunate and unacceptable".
The timing of Pitroda's resignation is crucial as the country is in the midst of the fourth phase of polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while campaigning in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, launched a scathing attack on the Congress party for Pitroda's remarks. He condemned the attempt to categorize Indians based on their skin color and stated that the people of India will not tolerate such insults.
At the same time, Modi also linked the Congress party's opposition to Droupadi Murmu's presidential bid to their mindset. He accused them of seeing her as an "African" due to her dark skin. As the controversy continued to escalate, Jairam Ramesh released a statement on behalf of the Congress party, stating that they completely dissociate themselves from Pitroda's comments and that they are "most unfortunate and unacceptable".
Later on, Ramesh announced Pitroda's resignation and confirmed that it has been accepted by the Congress President. However, the BJP dismissed the Congress party's efforts to distance themselves from the controversy. They pointed out Pitroda's history of making "insulting and demeaning" comments, including his remarks on terrorism and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Pitroda's response of "hua to hua" to a question about the riots and his statement of "it happens all the time" in reference to the Pulwama terror attack had also sparked widespread outrage.
In the past, Pitroda had also faced criticism for his comment on inheritance tax in the United States, which was deemed as the Congress party's plan for "redistribution of wealth". The BJP had used this statement to attack the Congress party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls. With these controversies surrounding Pitroda, his resignation has come as a surprise to many. The Congress party will now have to find a replacement for the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.
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