'Complete nonsense, happy he retired': Robert Vadra on Sam Pitroda's racist remark

Robert Vadra said he completely disagrees with the racist remarks made by former Overseas India Congress chairman Sam Pitroda. (Courtesy: ANI)

Robert Vadra, entrepreneur and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi's husband, on May 9 said that he completely disagrees with the racist remarks made by former Overseas India Congress chairman Sam Pitroda.

During an interview with The Statesman, Pitroda said, "We could hold together a country as diverse as India - where people in the east look like Chinese, people in the west look like Arab, people in the north look like maybe White and people in south look like Africans. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters".

Expressing shock at how an educated person like Pitroda could make such comments, Vadra said, "I disagree with what Sam Pitroda has said. Bakwas ki hai. How can someone so educated say something like this," he told news agency ANI.

Soon after Pitroda's video went viral, the grand old party distanced itself from the controversial remarks made by him. "The analogies drawn by Mr. Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies," it said.

Vadra said that when one is associated with the Gandhi family, he/she must think before taking any step as with great power comes great responsibility.

"He was very close to Rajiv Gandhi but he should be a little more responsible. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are making efforts but because of his one statement, the BJP gets a chance to raise unnecessary issues," he added.

Also read: Sam Pitroda quits as chairman of Indian Overseas Congress after racist remark stirs row

The businessman further mentioned that he wrote to Pitroda saying what he said is wrong. "You come here and talk about the mistakes of this government, point out the shortcomings. But you are sitting on the sofa and saying anything, which is complete nonsense. I am very happy that he has retired. I wrote to him yesterday that all this is wrong," he said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday evening took to X, formerly Twitter, to announce that Sam Pitroda resigned as the chairman of India Overseas Congress.

"Mr. Sam Pitroda has decided to step down as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress of his own accord. The Congress President has accepted his decision," Ramesh said on X.