Guwahati: In a recent statement that stirred controversy, senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda highlighted India’s diversity, stating that the country has thrived in a harmonious environment for 75 years, where people of various appearances coexist peacefully.
Pitroda remarked, “We could hold together a country 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 maybe Whites and people in South India look like Africans. It doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters,” during an interview with The Statesman.
Responding to these comments, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter, expressing his disagreement. He emphasized India’s unity amidst diversity, stating, “Sam bhai (Brother), I am from the North East and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country – we may look different but we are all one. Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo!”
Similarly, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned Pitroda’s remarks, deeming them as “unfortunate” and “utter nonsense.” Singh demanded an apology from the Congress party, asserting, “We all live together in India. We are all Indians. I feel very very sad and condemn this kind of comment by Congress.” He accused the party of having a hidden agenda to divide India on religious grounds and attributed the violence in Manipur to their influence.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also expressed his disapproval of Pitroda’s statement, highlighting its impact on India’s cultural fabric. Rijiju stated, “This is not a personal opinion of Sam Pitroda. Congress takes all ideas from him, so Congress should not come out and say this is his personal comment. Rahul Gandhi and Pitroda had foreign thinking, they want to end our culture.”
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