Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a no-holds-barred attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 'philosopher uncle' Sam Pitroda's alleged racist remarks.
While holding a rally in Telangana's Warangal on Wednesday, a visibly upset Modi said, "Today I am extremely angry. I don't get furious whenever I get abused. I can bear it. But today, Shehzada's philosopher (Rahul Gandhi's philosopher Sam Pitroda) made extremely displeasing remarks."
"Can you tell me, will a person's nationality be decided based on a person's skin colour? Who gave authority to Shehzada? Those who don't care about the Constitution are insulting people based on skin colour."
Modi further claimed that the Congress continues to disparage President Droupadi Murmu, because of her skin colour.
that the reason Congress was talking about people's skin colour
"I was thinking a lot that Droupadi Murmu who has a very good reputation and is the daughter of Adiwasi family, then why is Congress trying so hard to defeat her?"
"But today, I got to know the reason. I got to know that there is an uncle in America who is the philosophical guide of 'Shehzada' and just like the third umpire in cricket this 'Shehzada' takes advice from the third umpire. This philosophical uncle said that those who have black skin are from Africa. This means that you are abusing several people of the country on the basis of their skin colour," he added.
In a video interview to the Telegraph, Pitroda India as a "... diverse country... where people on East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africa". He made these remarks while talking about India's diversity.
Pitroda was responding to a question about what the Congress has tried to make one of the fundamental issues of the 2024 Lok Sabha election - that the BJP, should it win this poll, will look to alter the basic nature of the country's socio-economic fabric, including by changing the Constitution.
Also read | 'People in east look like Chinese...': Sam Pitroda sparks row with 'racist' remarks, slammed by BJP