It was too hot to not handle. Finally, Sam Pitroda has stepped down as the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chairman after his racist remarks created a furore. Sources say he was called to do so and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge did not waste time in accepting it. With the Lok Sabha elections on, it was difficult to just distance from his comments. The Congress needed to do more.
Pitroda’s comments contradicted everything that his party leader Rahul Gandhi and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc stands for.
The acronym INDIA was chosen to project the coalition as one that protects the idea of one India. However, Pitroda’s comments on the North-East and South Indians navigated this idea. The Congress was quick to distance itself from his comments, with spokesperson Jairam Ramesh saying that they were his own and that the party does not subscribe to his views.
However, the damage was done as the comments came on a day when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was down South in Telangana and attacked them over it. He used the point that Pitroda has called South Indians with dark skin as Africans.
What was even more damaging was the fact that Gandhi is an MP from the southern state of Kerala. In contrast to the North, the Congress is more powerful in the South, with two governments — Karnataka and Telangana. So these comments by Pitroda could not just be wished away.
RAHUL GANDHI’S ‘MENTOR’
Rahul Gandhi had once publicly called Pitroda his “mentor”, referring to him as ‘Sam’. In his initial years, Pitroda played an important role in drafting the manifesto as well as the political strategy of the Congress.
In fact, as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC), it was his job to ensure that the Congress footprint was strong abroad and that Gandhi had a global image just like the Prime Minister.
The Congress had taken a strong stance against him earlier on his comment on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP claimed that “instructions” for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots came from Rajiv Gandhi, Pitroda, a close aide to the former Prime Minister, had denied the charge, saying, “Ab kya hai ’84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. ’84 mein hua to hua. Aapne kya kiya?”
Gandhi had called him “stupid” and asked him to immediately apologise.
THE DAMAGE
Pitroda’s comments were damaging because they destroyed the very fabric of India’s Constitution, which does not allow discrimination on the basis of colour or creed. The biggest visions of the BJP government at the Centre has been Mission North-East. It has accused the Congress of not being able to bring the region into the mainstream. As the Congress is virtually wiped out in that area, Pitroda’s comments reinforced the apprehension and grudge among the Northeastern states that they are always looked upon as foreigners and considered to be Chinese.
The comment calling South Indians Africans was racist and discriminatory. While the Congress and its allies dismissed it as a non-issue, they realised that the longer Pitroda continued as the IOC chairman, the more it could hurt them.
The thing is Pitroda was not just any other party functionary. He was first roped in by Rajiv Gandhi for being a telecom wizard. After his death, Rahul Gandhi continued to remain impressed by him and Pitroda, too, helped Gandhi make an impression abroad.
He has embarrassed the Congress many times. But Pitroda hai ki maanta hi nahin.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
