After Rahul’s attack over musician’s death, BJP brings up Pitroda’s ‘Chinese’ remark on Northeast

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks over the alleged murder of a Manipur-origin musician, and asked where he was hiding when his party leader Sam Pitroda said the people of Northeast looked like the Chinese.

The BJP asked Gandhi why he and other Congress leaders were silent when party leader Sam Pitroda made an objectionable remark about people from the Northeast.

“Was he hiding when Congress leader Sam Pitroda said the people of Northeast looked like the Chinese,” asked BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia.

Gandhi had earlier lashed out at the Centre over the musician’s death, questioning what the Union Home Ministry, headed by Amit Shah, was doing to prevent what he described as “growing lawlessness”. He also demanded a swift probe into the incident.

Chongtham Vikram Singh, a 54-year-old Manipuri musician, died after a group of delivery workers and dhaba staff allegedly assaulted him when he objected to their shouting and drinking alcohol outside his Kilokari village apartment early Monday, according to officials. Police arrested seven men and apprehended one juvenile in the case.

Bhatia said at a press conference that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, every citizen feels secure and takes pride in being Indian. “I want to ask a question to this rotten Congress, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. When their leader Sam Pitroda said the faces of people from the Northeast resemble those of the Chinese, where did Rahul Gandhi go into hiding?” he asked.

Pitroda had triggered a controversy in May 2024 with his remark, “People of the east look like the Chinese and those from the south look like Africans.” The Congress, however, had distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments, describing them as unfortunate and unacceptable. The party had said it “completely dissociates” itself from the remarks.

In a podcast, Pitroda, head of the Indian Overseas Congress, had said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together.” He added, “We could hold the country as diverse as India together. Where people in the east look like the Chinese, people in the west look like the Arabs, people in the north look like, maybe, white and people in the south look like Africans.