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US-based Sam Pitroda has been reinstated as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress on Wednesday, just 49 days after his resignation. Pitroda had stepped down on May 8 following controversial remarks that the party distanced itself from, fearing they might alienate voters during the Lok Sabha elections. His reappointment takes immediate effect.
“Congress President has reappointed Sam Pitroda as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress with immediate effect,” AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said in a statement.
Pitroda, a longtime advisor to the Gandhi family and considered close to Rahul Gandhi, found himself at the center of a political storm due to comments made during a podcast. In his remarks, he used ethnic and racial descriptors to illustrate the diversity of India’s population, which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized as “racist.”
The controversy erupted when Pitroda said, “People in the east look like the Chinese, people in the west look like the Arabs, people in the north look like, maybe, white, and people in the south look like Africans.” He intended to highlight India’s diversity but instead sparked outrage.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seized on these comments, making them a significant campaign issue. Modi accused Pitroda of racial profiling and insulting Indians based on skin color. The Congress party swiftly distanced itself from Pitroda’s remarks, calling them “most unfortunate and unacceptable.”
This was not Pitroda’s first brush with controversy. Earlier in the campaign, his comments about inheritance tax in the United States were used by the BJP to accuse the Congress of planning to implement similar policies in India. Pitroda has also faced criticism for past remarks about terrorism and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Despite Pitroda courting controversies consistently, his reappointment suggests that the Congress party leadership still values his contributions. As IOC chairman, he has played a crucial role in organizing Rahul Gandhi’s interactions with students at foreign universities in countries like the UK, UAE, and the US.
The BJP has reacted strongly to Pitroda’s reinstatement. BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted, “The tormentor of the middle class is back… Congress hoodwinks India, brings back Sam Pitroda soon after elections. Hua toh hua.” Malviya’s “Hua toh hua” reference recalls Pitroda’s controversial 2019 remark about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which translates to “So what, it happened”.
This reappointment comes at a time when the Congress party is reassessing its strategy following the recent Lok Sabha elections. It remains to be seen how Pitroda’s return will impact the party’s image and its relationship with overseas Indian communities.
Pitroda’s reinstatement comes a day after Rahul Gandhi was named the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Pitroda, a close associate of Rahul’s father, the former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, continues to be a significant figure in the party despite his penchant for courting controversies.
