I am From North-East and I Look Like An Indian: Himanta Biswa Sarma Hits Back at Pitroda's Remarks

New Delhi: Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda has again stoked controversy as he said that people of different regions of the country look different from each other. Sam Pitroda said that people of  South “look like Africans and those in the East looks like Arabs and those in the North East look like Chinese.” Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma has strongly responded to the same. 

Himanta Biswa Sarma, referring to Pitroda's comment that people from North-Eastern region look like Chinese, said that he looks like an Indian. “Sam bhai, 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!" said Sarma in a post on X.

Rahul must sack him: Sarma 

Hitting out at the Congress party, the BJP leader while speaking exclusively to Republic TV’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami said, "Rahul must sack him, Rahul must disown him, it is an abuse in extreme sense. I condemn this Gandhi family. I demand that Rahul Gandhi come to the national TV and apologise for his guru's remarks.”

“I'm more angry with Priyanka Gandhi because she is saying it is a useless issue,” Sarma added. 

What Sam Pitroda Said? 

Pitroda, in an interview to 'The Statesman', while reflecting upon the democracy in India said, "We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people on east look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like white and maybe people on South look like Africans."

He further added that the people of India respect different languages, religion, food and customs which varies from region to region. "That's the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises little bit," he said.

BJP Retorts 

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has slammed Pitroda for his ‘racist’ comments. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that these were racist comments by a man who is the guru of Rahul Gandhi. "It is the words and thinking of Rahul Gandhi only because these days Rahul is also playing the politics of divide and rule to such an extent that first they divide on caste and language lines and now they are doing Indians Vs Indians. To make comments like Indians are like Chinese. Isn't this a racist comment? Isn't this insulting? Indians are looking like Africans. Isn't it the comment on the entire South people? By making these comments, it shows that Congress' "Mohabbat ki dukaan" actually has "Nafrat ka saaman". Unless Congress gives a complete explanation and sacks Sam Pitroda, this should be taken as the statement of the Congress," Poonawalla said.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya alleged that the statement by Pitroda is no different from what Churchill had said about Indians. "Congress has always been the OG-breaking India party. This commentary is no different from what Churchill had said about us. No wonder RG is the way he is after being mentored by him!" Surya said.