Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda - whose comment last month about an inheritance tax in the United States sparked a massive fight with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party - has triggered another row in his attempt to make a pitch for national unity. 

In an exclusive interview with The Statesman, Mr. Pitroda described India as a "... diverse country... where people in the East look like Chinese, people in West look like Arab, people in North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africans". 

Pitroda’s remarks draw swift criticism from the BJP. The Congress immediately distanced itself from his remarks, terming them "unacceptable".

Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh said on X, "The analogies given by Sam Pitroda to India's diversity are extremely wrong and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely disassociates itself from these analogies," 

While, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lost no time in blaming former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his aide Pitroda's latest howler. Sneeringly referring to Gandhi as shehzada, the PM said, "Aapko jawaab dena padega (You will have to answer for this). My country will not tolerate the disrespect of my countrymen on the basis of their skin colour and Modi will never tolerate this."

Reacting to Pitroda's controversial remarks, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X, "Sam bhai, I am from the Northeast and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country - we may look different, but we are all one. Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo! (Please understand at least something about our country)"

Even Congress allies did not spare Pitroda. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "I do not agree with his statement. But, is he a member of the manifesto committee, a star campaigner of Congress, and does he reside in this country? He lives abroad. It's unfortunate to make his issues the country's issue."

DMK leader TKS Elangovan said Pitroda’s remarks were unwarranted as despite regional, cultural and linguistic differences, the people of India were one.