“People in East look like Chinese, in South look like Africans…”: Sam Pitroda stokes new controversy

New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): Before the Congress party could douse the flames from the ‘inheritance tax’ controversy, Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda has again ignited a firestorm speaking on the diversity of India referring to how people in the South “look like Africans and those in the East looks like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese.”

Speaking about how India is a shining example of democracy in the world, Pitroda said that the people of the country have “survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together leaving a few fights here and there”.

Pitroda, in an interview to ‘The Statesman’, while refelecting upon the democracy in India said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people on east look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like white and maybe people on South look like Africans.”

He further added that the people of India respect different languages, religion, food and customs which varies from region to region. “That’s the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises little bit,” he said.

Earlier, Pitroda stoked a controversy while speaking about the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America and said these are issued that will need to be discussed.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Pitroda had said.

After the comments snowballed into a controversy Pitroda sought to downplay the issue saying he had only cited inheritance tax in the US as an example.

“Who said 55 per cent will be taken away? Who said something like this should be done in India? Why is BJP and media in panic? I mentioned US inheritance tax in the US only as an example in my normal conversation on TV. Can I not mention facts? I said these are the kind of issues people will have to discuss and debate. This has nothing to do with policy of any party including congress,” Pitroda said in his post on X.

However, the Congress officially distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments saying that they did not reflect the view of the party at all times.