Meghalaya BJP members protest Pitroda’s remarks

Shillong: The Meghalaya state unit of the BJP on Thursday staged a protest against the controversial comments made by senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda regarding the features of people living in various regions of the country, including the northeast. They brandished a banner in front of the party office reading — “We are not Chinese”.
Party spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang said, “The outrageous, shameful and racist remarks made by Sam Pitroda have hurt the sentiments of every Indian and deserves condemnation.We who reside in the northeast find it particularly reprehensible and disgusting, that someone in a responsible position can go to the extent of saying that we look like the Chinese people.”
He added that the party would like to make it clear to Pitroda, that “all of us look into the mirror and see the reflection of a proud Indian; something a man settled in another country, a man who has shunned his motherland, will never understand.”
A BJP statement said, “The mind shudders when we remember that this vile man, a man completely detached from his roots, is mentor and advisor to Rahul Gandhi. This in itself betrays the colonial and condescending attitude that the Congress Party leadership holds for every Indian. Why else would one take advice from someone who is practically a foreigner with little respect for India and Indian values?”
The BJP added that the Congress would do well to remember that the days of divisive politics, “presided over by the haughty ruling class, are over”. The saffron party said the party needs to tender an immediate, unconditional apology to each and every Indian.
“As far as BJP Meghalaya is concerned, we hold the entire Congress Party responsible for this despicable remark,” the statement read.