Kangana Ranaut, aligning with sentiments expressed by BJP leaders, has entered the fray regarding Sam Pitroda’s controversial remarks on the physical appearance of Indians. Pitroda’s alleged comments, drawing parallels between individuals in Eastern India and the Chinese, and comparing those from the South to Africans, have stirred significant controversy.
Kangana Ranaut’s pointed critique of Pitroda’s remarks
Running for Lok Sabha elections from Mandi on a BJP ticket, Kangana took to Instagram Stories to offer her take on the matter. “Congress Uncle Sam remarked that South Indians resemble Africans, while those from the East and Northeast resemble Chinese. He said people from the Gujarat belt look like Arabs, and those from the northern regions look like white people. I’m curious about which part of India Uncle Sam hails from, because he appears more birdlike than human.”
She continued, emphasizing that Indians possess darker complexions due to their resemblance to their ancestors. “Shyam signifies the color black, Lord Rama had the darkest complexion, Arjuna was also dark, and Draupadi, the most stunning woman, was even darker. Krishna affectionately called her ‘Krishna’ because of her complexion. Darker-skinned individuals in our nation are like these revered ancestors, not Africans.
“When Arjuna married a Manipuri woman, he wedded a princess named Chitrangada, deeply rooted in the Sanatani tradition, not someone resembling Chinese ethnicity. People from Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the northern regions exhibit quintessential Indian features. Just because your ‘Raja babu’ is Italian doesn’t imply everyone’s lineage is mixed. We are pure 100% Indian.”
What remarks did Sam Pitroda make?
In a recent podcast, Sam Pitroda, the head of the Indian Overseas Congress, reflected, “Over the past 75 years, we’ve managed to maintain a harmonious environment where people coexist peacefully, despite occasional conflicts.”
He further elaborated, “In India, we see diversity everywhere. People in the eastern regions may resemble the Chinese, those in the western regions may resemble Arabs, individuals in the northern regions may resemble Caucasians, and those in the southern regions may resemble Africans. However, these differences don’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters, respecting each other’s languages, religions, customs, and cuisine.” These comments, widely shared on social media, drew reactions from BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Modi questioned, “Will a person’s worth in my country be judged based on their skin color?” He further queried, “Who authorized the ‘shehzada’ to engage in such discourse on skin color?”