Sam Pitroda steps down as Indian Overseas Congress Chairman amid controversial remarks

New Delhi: Congressman Sam Pitroda, who has been under criticism for a number of controversial remarks he has made recently, resigned from his position as the Indian Overseas Congress Chairman on Wednesday.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress's in-charge of communications, used X to alert people about Pitroda's decision, claiming that it was his own.

He also said that the Congress has accepted Pitroda’s resignation.

Pitroda said to be the political mentor of Rahul Gandhi, found himself in the eye of the storm over his statements, the latest being a "racial slur" on the country's citizens.

Speaking to The Statesman, the Congress leader derided the country’s diversity with his controversial statement. "A diverse country, where people in the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arabs, people on the North look like maybe white and people in the South look like of Africa,” Pitroda said, drawing anger and outrage from BJP and other political parties.

The Congress also took exception to Pitroda’s remarks on the "colour of citizens" and termed it "unfortunate and unacceptable".

Deeply embarrassed with his statement, Jairam Ramesh, earlier in the day, wrote, “The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from such analogies, they are most unfortunate and unacceptable.”

Pitroda's recent assertions on Inheritance tax and its benefits also received huge flak from the BJP and put his own party in a spot.

With inputs from IANS