'Looks like birdie': Kangana Ranaut slams Sam Pitroda's 'racist' remarks
What's the story
Kangana Ranaut, Bollywood actor-turned-BJP candidate from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, has publicly expressed her disagreement with the head of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda's recent comments about India's ethnic diversity.
Pitroda sparked controversy by suggesting that people from different regions of India resemble various ethnicities.
Ranaut responded to these remarks via Instagram Stories, challenging Pitroda's own identity and questioning his understanding of Indian diversity.
Instagram rebuttal
'I wonder which part of India Uncle Sam belongs to...'
On Wednesday, Ranaut took to Instagram to respond to Pitroda's comments.
She wrote, "Congress Uncle Sam said South Indians look like Africans, East/North East Indians look like Chinese, people from Gujarat belt look like Arabs and people from up north look like white people."
"I wonder which part of India Uncle Sam belongs to because he looks more like a birdie than human."
Statement
'We are 'shudh' 100% desi 'Bhartiya'
Ranaut elaborated in a follow-up Story, "Shyam means color black, Lord Rama was the darkest shade of the black, Arjun was black and Draupadi was the darkest of them all, she was the most gorgeous and the most stunning woman ever."
"Darker people in this nation are like their above-mentioned ancestors not like Africans. When Arjuna married a Manipuri woman, he married a sanatani princess called Chitrangada, not a Chinese-looking girl."
"We are shudh (pure) 100% desi Bhartiya," she concluded.
Twitter Post
Ranaut commented on Pitroda's 'racist, divisive jibes' on X, too
Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi’s mentor. Listen to his racist & divisive jibes for Indians.
— Kangana Ranaut (Modi Ka Parivar) (@KanganaTeam) May 8, 2024
Their whole ideology is about divide & rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African.
Shame on Congress! pic.twitter.com/WDSYAuFbht
Podcast interview
This is what Pitroda had said
During a podcast interview, Pitroda made contentious remarks.
He stated, "We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together."
"We could hold together a country as diverse as India, where people in the east look like the Chinese, people in the west look like the Arabs, people in the north look like, maybe, white, and people in the south look like Africans."
His comments sparked a heated debate across India.
Modi's reaction
PM Narendra Modi responded to Pitroda's comments
As Pitroda's remarks came under fire, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reacted to the controversy.
He questioned who authorized this "game of skin color," expressing his disapproval of the comments.
Meanwhile, Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh also condemned Pitroda's analogies, deeming them "most unfortunate and unacceptable."
Ramesh stated that the Indian National Congress (INC) entirely dissociates itself from Pitroda's remarks.