Sam Pitroda has stepped down as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, after his recent comments on inheritance tax and "diversity" in India drew Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sharp attacks on the party.
"Sam Pitroda has decided to step down as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Congress President has accepted his decision," senior party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
श्री सैम पित्रोदा ने अपनी मर्ज़ी से इंडियन ओवरसीज कांग्रेस के अध्यक्ष पद से इस्तीफ़ा देने का फ़ैसला किया है। कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने उनका इस्तीफ़ा स्वीकार कर लिया है।
May 8, 2024
Mr. Sam Pitroda has decided to step down as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Congress…Last month, Pitroda's remarks on inheritance tax landed the party in trouble after PM Modi latched on to the issue of "wealth redistribution", purportedly expressed in the opposition party's election manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On Wednesday, the US-based Congress leader described India as a "... diverse country... where people on East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africa" in an interview to a media outlet.
Within hours, speaking at a rally in Andhra Pradesh, PM Modi used the fresh ammunition, while BJP leaders across the country slammed the alleged "racist" comments.
In both cases, the Congress swung into damage control, distancing itself from the comments of its overseas wing.
"The analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies," Ramesh said after the uproar.
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