Piyush Goyal slams Sam Pitroda's 'racial' remarks, calls Congress 'directionless'

Piyush Goyal/ File Photo

Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Piyush Goyal blasted Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, for his 'racial' remarks, describing the Congress as "directionless." Goyal criticised Pitroda's recent remarks, claiming that the Congress lacks leadership and is resorting to divisive sentiments as its political influence declines. He projected a large decline in Congress seats over past elections, reported ANI.

Speaking to the news agency, Piyush Goyal said, "Congress is directionless. They cannot do anything except break the country. They neither have a leader nor leadership. This time Congress will be left with half the seats as compared to last time. In such a situation, it has nothing else to do except give such controversial statements."

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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticised Sam Pitroda's 'racial' remarks, emphasising that it does not reflect the beliefs of the party or the country. Chaturvedi said, "I do not agree with his statement. But, is he a member of the manifesto committee, a star campaigner of Congress, and does he reside in this country? He lives abroad. It's unfortunate to make his issues the country's issue. On one side it's the issues of the people and on the other side, what Sam Pitroda is saying from America. We have nothing to do with that, neither it's an issue, nor this country would want to react to what he says."

Pitroda's previous support for an inheritance tax-like measure had sparked outrage, and his current "racial" statements have added gasoline to the fire, further tarnishing Congress' reputation.

Reportedly, Pitroda defined India as a country where people appreciate different languages, religions, and traditions and remarked that people in the South resemble Africans and those in the East resemble Arabs and Chinese generating controversy, and overshadowing his message of unity in diversity.

"We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside a few fights here and there. 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 white and maybe people on the South look like Africans," Sam Pitroda said in an interview.