BJP Slams Sam Pitroda as ‘Illegal Migrants’ Video Sparks Fresh Controversy

BJP Slams Sam Pitroda as ‘Illegal Migrants’: The Bharatiya Janata Party blasted the Congress party after the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda, allegedly advocated for illegal immigrants to settle in India and criticized the Centre for failing to take action on the issue.

Sharing a video clip on X, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari wrote, “OUTRAGEOUS! Rahul Gandhi’s right hand man Sam Pitroda’s statement advocating for illegal migrants to settle in India, even at the country’s expense, is shocking and irresponsible.”

OUTRAGEOUS!

Rahul Gandhi’s right hand man Sam Pitroda’s statement advocating for illegal migrants to settle in India, even at the country’s expense, is shocking and irresponsible.

Now you wonder how Congress since the last 70 years worked overtime to settle ILLEGALS in our… pic.twitter.com/kKVFusDD71

— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)???????? (@pradip103) January 27, 2025

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“Now you wonder how Congress since the last 70 years worked overtime to settle ILLEGALS in our country!” Pradeep Bhandari added.

HT.com could not independently verify the video.

Pitroda has yet to clarify the recent controversy.

In the video, Sam Pitroda is purportedly heard saying, “If they want to come here, even illegally, let them come. We should include everybody. If we have to suffer a little bit, it’s okay. We will share but nobody wants to share. They want to keep their pie bigger and bigger.”

When the Congress chairman spoke on the crackdown on illegal migrants by the Centre, he said the government should concentrate on public issues, such as global warming, instead of focusing only on migration.

Sam Pitroda’s apparent remarks resurfaced as the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigration became a potent political narrative with Delhi poised for the assembly elections on February 5.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of sinning by allowing Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators to procure Aadhaar cards in Okhla, south Delhi.

The BJP has accused the AAP of using them to create a "vote bank" for the polls.

Sam Pitroda found himself in trouble again nearly a year after he sparked a political slugfest by his allegedly `racist` remarks on India's diversity while talking about illegal migrants in the country.

Pitroda, a close aide to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has advocated that illegal migrants must be settled in India, before questioning the government for not taking any steps in the case.

This is not the first time Sam Pitroda has invited controversy during the Lok Sabha elections last year, the senior Congress leader said, “Northeast people look like Chinese, people in the west look like Arabs, people in the north look like white and the south look like Africa."

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5 times Sam Pitroda stroke controversy

Inheritance tax: Last year, Sam Pitroda slammed a controversy by advocating stated inheritance taxes prevailing in America, at which use were "issues that could face great discussions on." "In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair," Sam Pitroda had said.

Again, Pitroda tried to downplay the controversy after being in the limelight, stating that he merely quoted examples of inheritance tax in the United States.

Ram Mandir controversy: In June 2023, with the grand opening of the Ram Mandir fast approaching, Sam Pitroda ignited a controversy when he said temples do not solve the critical issues facing India, like unemployment, inflation, education, and health. This would provide ammunition to the BJP to fire salvos against the Congress for obsessively speaking about temples rather than socio-economic issues.

Anti-Sikh riots of 1984: In May 2019, Sam Pitroda landed in trouble for his dismissive comment "hua to hua" (so what) when he was asked about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The incumbent inadvertently deflected responsibility for what happened in 1984 to the failures of the present government in keeping its promises.

Remarks on Pulwama: Sam Pitroda triggered controversy during the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in February 2019, inquiring into how effective the retaliatory airstrikes led by the Indian Air Force on Balakot were. His statement triggered a sort of debate on how durable India's response to terrorism has been and what kind of diplomatic strategy should be implemented when faced with such crises.

Nehru vs Ambedkar on Constitution: Referencing an article by Sudheendra Kulkarni, Sam Pitroda posted on social media that Jawaharlal Nehru had played a much larger role than BR Ambedkar in framing the Constitution. This statement stirred a lot of controversy and had to be subsequently walked back, highlighting how sensitive discussions of the Constitution's founders have always been.

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