July 17, 2026

Sam Pitroda: Going Overboard

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2024-05-10 00:46:36

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Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

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So now we have it - a racist profile of Indians by none other than the 'great' Sam Pitroda. Close on the heels of his US-type inheritance tax remarks which raised a huge controversy, Pitroda this time tried disgusting analogies to prove how diverse India is. His sweeping remarks smacked of racism and commented on features, skin tone and looks of Indians in all parts of the country.

For Pitroda, people in the north take after 'whites'; those in the north-east are 'Chinese'; people from the west are like 'Arabs' and those from the south are like 'Africans'. This is the mindset that divides people. This is the mindset that makes people think that people from Nagaland, Arunachal, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Tripura or Manipur are 'chinkies' and 'nepalis' and not Indians.

India is a diverse nation where people of many features exist. It is nation where many languages are spoken, where dress, food and culture is distinct in each state. The sum total of this is what makes India unique. If, instead of taking pride in our diversity, we were to profile people on the basis of their facial features or the colour of their skin, we will be doing a great disservice to the people.

The Congress has rightly distanced itself from Pitroda's obnoxious analogies. It called them "unfortunate and unacceptable". Pitroda has resigned as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. The BJP has, as expected, latched on the remarks to take digs at Rahul Gandhi. Most Congress leaders, except Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, have chosen to condemn Pitroda's remarks. Choudhury, on the other hand, tried to defend Pitroda by saying that not everyone in India looks alike and the country has "Proto-Australian, N****** and Mongoloid class" and "some are black....some are white".