On Wednesday (8th May), Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi over Sam Pitroda’s racist remarks about Indians. Addressing a rally in Warangal, Telangana, PM Modi asserted that he has now realised why the Congress party opposed the Presidential candidature of Droupadi Murmu. He added that for the Congress party, people who have black skin colour must be from Africa, and based on her skin colour, they assumed Droupadi Murmu was also African. Congress thought that her skin tone was black so she should be defeated, he noted.
PM Modi emphasised that while he never gets angry when the opposition leaders insult and abuse him, he won’t let them abuse Indians based on skin colour. Slamming the Congress party for judging people based on skin colour, he added that for Indians skin colour is immaterial adding that we are the worshippers of Lord Krishna who had the same skin colour as we do.”
The Prime Minister stated that he could not understand why was Congress opposing Droupadi Murmu’s candidature and upsetting the Adiwasi community. He added that I thought they were opposing it because this is how Shehzadey’s mind is (a reference to Rahul Gandhi but after Sam Pitroda’s remark it has become clear that based on her skin colour they assumed her to be African and wanted to defeat her as her skin tone is black, the Prime Minister added.
Referring to Sam Pitroda’s racist remarks against Indians, PM Modi said, “I was thinking a lot that Droupadi Murmu who has a very good reputation and is the daughter of the Adiwasi family, then why is Congress trying so hard to defeat her but today I got to know the reason. I got to know that there is an uncle in America who is the philosophical guide of ‘Shehzada’ and just like the third umpire in cricket this ‘Shehzada’ takes advice from the third umpire. This philosophical uncle said that those who have black skin are from Africa. This means that you are abusing several people in the country on the basis of their skin colour…Skin colour is immaterial to us. We are the worshippers of Lord Krishna who had the same skin colour as we do.”
The Prime Minister expressed anger arguing that will the Congress party judge the potential of Indians based on their skin colour and slammed Rahul Gandhi asking who gave him this right.
PM Modi added, “I want to ask a serious question today…I am very angry today, if someone abuses me I can take it but this philosopher of ‘Shehzada’ has given such a big abuse that has filled me with anger. Will the potential of the people of the country be decided by their skin colour? Who gave this right to ‘Shehzada’? The people dancing with the Consitution on their head are insulting my countrymen based on their skin colour…”
He pressed, “…’Shehzade aapko jawaab dena padega’. (Prince of Congress party you will have to answer for this.) My country will not tolerate the disrespect of my countrymen on the basis of their skin colour and Modi will never tolerate this…”
Notably, the development comes after a video of Rahul Gandhi’s adviser and President of Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda went viral in which he can be heard making racist comments about Indians.
People of East India look like Chinese, South Indians look like Africans: Sam Pitroda’s racist remarks sparks outrage
Congress leader and close associate of Rahul Gandhi, Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda popularly known as Sam Pirtoda claimed that Indians native to the Eastern side of the country resemble Chinese people, those living in the West appear Middle Eastern while North Indians look like ‘white people’ and the ones in the South are similar in appearance to the people of ‘Africa’.
Pitroda stated, “We could hold a country together as diverse as India where people on the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arab, people on the North look like maybe White, and people in the South look like Africa. Doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters. We all respect different languages. We all respect different religions, different looks, different customs. different food and as a Gujarati, I love dosa, I love idli. That’s my food. That’s no longer South Indian food. Okay, that’s the India I believe in where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit.”