Sam Pitroda is a familiar face in the Congress party. This is not the first time that his words have deteriorated in the Lok Sabha elections. Even before that, his ‘bad words’ made the electoral path of the Congress party difficult. This is the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The polling was supposed to be held in Haryana and Punjab, but before that Sam Pitroda gave such a statement, due to which BJP attacked the Congress a lot. His statement was managed in the election. Sam Pitroda said during the election, what is the fate of ‘1984’ now? Now talk about what you did in five years. What happened in 1984, happened. Pitroda made a statement here about the riots of 1984. In the BJP, from PM Modi to lower level workers, this statement was made among the people in the name of ‘Hua Lahua’. This time in the elections too, Pitroda has given a big issue in BJP’s hands.
Pitroda said, there is an inheritance tax in America. Someone has a net worth of $100 million. If that person dies, only 45 percent of the property will go to his children. The rest will go to the state. Like last time, this time also BJP is taking advantage of Pitroda’s statement.
After Pitroda’s statement came to light in the 2019 elections, the Congress party went on the back foot. Keeping in mind that the statements made by politicians in the Lok Sabha elections should not spoil the game of votes, an advisory has been issued to the leaders. In this, many things were said to control the speech of the leaders. Which leader should give which statement and when, all this was part of the consultation. If a leader wants to express his opinion on any issue, he will first have to say so to the party’s communication unit or any other senior leader. Sensing the political fallout of Pitroda’s statement, the Congress party said that the statement given by Sam Pitroda, adviser to the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi, on the 1984 riots was not the party’s statement.
BJP left no stone unturned to capitalize on his statement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally in Delhi, the Congress party has started talking about justice these days. This party will have to account for the riots of 1984. Attacking the Congress, then Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Pitroda’s statement was shocking. No one can expect that. Pitroda says what if the genocide happened in 1984. This kind of statement is not acceptable in Israel. Subsequently, BJP president Amit Shah and other party leaders also attacked the Congress over Sam Pitroda’s statement. It didn’t take long for the Congress party to realize that Sam Pitroda’s statement could spoil the poll game in Haryana, Delhi and Punjab. In 2019, voting was held in Delhi and Haryana on 12 May.
Congress party leader Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that if someone gives such a wrong statement and hurts any community, then it will not be considered as a statement of the party. The Congress party does not agree with Pitroda’s statement. An advisory has been issued to ensure that no such statement comes from the party in future. Especially those people who have less experience with the ideology of the Congress party or have come from other parties. The Congress party strongly condemns the Sikh riots. The Congress party has also made efforts to provide justice to the victims of the riots and will continue to do so in the future.
Sam Pitroda, while clarifying ‘X’ on this matter, wrote, in my general conversation on TV, I mentioned the American ‘inheritance tax’ in America only as an example. I said that these are issues that people should discuss and debate. It has nothing to do with the policies of any party including the Congress. Rashid Kidwai, who closely follows the politics of the Congress party, says that such statements during elections can harm the party. Leaders need to make statements with thought. In the elections, the opposition party kept an eye on such statements. These days is not the time to do politics on issues. In politics, any statement that the party thinks is true, it seizes. In such a situation, leaders should be careful while expressing any opinions or views. BJP has taken full advantage of this issue.
The prime minister himself said in his rallies, public funds will be given to infiltrators. Your property will be divided among those who have more children. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said- Sam Pitroda was a guru, friend, philosopher and guide to many people around the world, including me. He has made innumerable lasting contributions to the development of India. He is the President of the Overseas Indian Congress. Sam Pitroda expresses his opinions openly on issues he feels strongly about. They are free to discuss, express and debate their personal views in a democracy. This does not mean that Sam Pitroda’s views always reflect the position of the Indian National Congress. BJP is trying to sensationalize his statement.
