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Sam Pitroda
The BJP on Saturday alleged that Sam Pitroda has "inadvertently" exposed the real face of the Congress by "revealing" that it is part of an "anti-India" global alliance and Rahul Gandhi often visits abroad to participate in their events, hoping his party would return to power at the Centre with their support. Referring to Pitroda's remarks in his latest interview with a news channel, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that the Congress overseas department chairperson revealed that the party holds an "official position" in the Global Progressive Alliance (GPA) with Gandhi being part of its presidium. "Rahul Gandhi's traditional family advisor and architect of his mindset and psychology, Sam Pitroda, in an interview yesterday, inadvertently exposed the real face of the Congress. He said the Congress is a part of the Global Progressive Alliance and Rahul Gandhi had recently visited Germany to take part in its meeting," the BJP Rajya Sabha MP told a press conference at .
With a BJP leader accusing him of illegally acquiring 12.35 acres of government land in Bengaluru, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Wednesday said he does not own any land, home, or stocks in India. BJP leader N R Ramesh has alleged that Sam Pitroda, with the help of five senior government officers, including forest department officials, illegally acquired 12.35 acres of government land worth Rs 150 crore at Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Ramesh, a former councillor in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has lodged a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate and the Karnataka Lokayukta. In a statement put out on X, Pitroda said, "In light of recent reports in the Indian media, both on television and in print, I wish to categorically state the following: I do not own any land, home, or stocks in India." "Additionally, during my tenure working with the government of India -- whether with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the mid-1980s or with Dr. Manmohan Si
Rahul Gandhi is more intellectual and more of a strategist as compared with his father Rajiv Gandhi, says long-time Gandhi family confidant Sam Pitroda, describing both leaders as "custodians of the idea of India". In an interview with PTI, Pitroda also asserted that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has all the qualities of a future prime minister. Pitroda, the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, dismissed as "bogus" the BJP's attack on Rahul Gandhi in the past over his remarks critical of the government during his visits abroad. Speaking about Gandhi's upcoming visit to the US next week, Pitroda said he is not coming to the US in his official capacity but will have a chance to interact with a variety of people on Capitol Hill at an "individual level". "He (Gandhi) will definitely have interactions with the press at the national press club, he will meet with the think tank people and will also have interaction at Georgetown University which is equally import
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit the US from September 8-10 during which he will hold numerous interactions in Washington DC and Dallas, including at the University of Texas. Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitorda shared details of Gandhi's first visit to the US after becoming the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha in June. "Since Rahul Gandhi has become the leader of opposition, I, as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, which has a presence in 32 countries, (have) been bombarded with requests from the Indian diaspora, diplomats, academicians, businesspersons, leaders, international media and many others, for interactions with him," Pitroda said in a video statement. "Now, he (Gandhi) is coming to the US for a very brief visit. He will be in Dallas on September 8th and Washington DC on September 9th and 10th. In Dallas, we will have interactions with the University of Texas, (with) students, academic institutions and community people. We wil
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday reappointed Sam Pitroda as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, days after he had resigned from the post following some controversial remarks in the middle of Lok Sabha elections which the BJP termed as "racist". "Congress president has reappointed Sam Pitroda as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress with immediate effect," AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said in a statement. Pitroda, who is considered a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, resigned from the post on May 8, and his resignation was accepted by the Congress chief. Pitroda, who held the post of chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, stoked a major controversy with his remarks during a podcast where he cited ethnic and racial identities like Chinese, Africans, Arabs and Whites to describe the physical appearance of Indians from different parts of the country. The veteran leader was an advisor to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and has been closely associated w
The Congress's West Bengal president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday defended Sam Pitroda's "racist" comment by stating that "India too has dark-skinned people akin to the N****es". The senior Congress leader and party's nominee from Baharampur Lok Sabha seat resonated with Pitroda who stirred a controversy by comparing people of south and east Indian origin to Africans and Chinese respectively. "According to the topography of our country, our regional features differ. In our Hindustan, we have Proto-Australian class, N***o class, Mongoloid class. I don't need to speak much on personal opinions," Chowdhury said at the party office here. "That's what we are taught in schools. Not everyone looks alike. Some are black, others are white," the Congress leader said. The controversy that followed Pitroda's comment in the wake of the ongoing general elections drove the leader to quit as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.