New Delhi: Sam Pitroda, a long-time member of the Congress party and its overseas unit chief, has stepped down from his position amidst a heated political uproar sparked by his contentious remarks. The remarks surfaced during the ongoing seven-phase elections, plunging the party into turmoil. Criticized as racist, Pitroda's comments drew severe condemnation from the BJP, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the charge, accusing the Congress of promoting divisive ideologies.

The announcement of Pitroda's resignation came through a brief statement posted on social media by the party's communications-in-charge, Jairam Ramesh. "Mr. Sam Pitroda has chosen to step down as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress voluntarily. The Congress President has accepted his decision," the statement read.

Brifing media, Pitroda had described India as a "diverse country... where people in the east look like the Chinese, people in the west look like Arabs, people in the north look like maybe white and people in the south look like Africa".

The Congress, already grappling with the fallout from Pitroda's previous controversial remarks regarding inheritance tax, found itself embroiled in yet another controversy, posing a significant challenge to its alliances, such as MK Stalin's DMK.

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