Longtime Congressman Sam Pitroda, who has been in the eye of a storm over a series of controversial statements in the past few weeks, resigned from his post as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress Wednesday.
The decision of Pitroda was shared by Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh on social media as he stated that this decision of Pitroda was done voluntarily. He also stated that the Congress party has indeed accepted Pitroda's resignation.
Pitroda, said to be a political guide for Rahul Gandhi himself, has been facing flak for his comments, the most recent one being termed a "racial slur" against the country's population.
In an interview with The Statesman, the Congress leader made disparaging comments about India's diverse population, stating, "A diverse country, where people in the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arabs, people on the North look maybe white and people in the South look like of Africa.” These remarks drew condemnation from the BJP and other political factions.
The Congress party also expressed its disapproval of Pitroda's comments regarding the "color of citizens," terming them as "unfortunate and unacceptable."
In response to Pitroda's statements, Jairam Ramesh wrote earlier in the day, “The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from such analogies, they are most unfortunate and unacceptable.”
Additionally, Pitroda faced backlash from the BJP for his recent comments regarding inheritance tax and its perceived benefits, which also put his own party in a challenging position.
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