Rahul Gandhi’s ‘mentor’ Sam Pitroda kicked off a controversy during an event in the United States when he delivered disparaging remarks against Lord Ram, the Ram Temple being built in Ayodhya, and other Hindu deities.
Speaking at a Rahul Gandhi event, Sam Pitroda accused the PM Narendra Modi-led Indian government of focussing on religious matters while neglecting issues related to development and the economy. “We have a problem with unemployment, inflation, education, and health. No one talks about these things. But everyone talks about Ram, Hanuman, mandir,” Sam Pitroda said during his speech.
“I have said that temples are not going to create jobs,” he added.
The controversial statement by Sam Pitroda follows similar remarks delivered by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his tour of the US.
BJP leaders were quick to slam Sam Pitroda for his comments with Amit Malviya taking him on with a lengthy statement on social media platform Twitter. In his statement, Amit Malviya claimed that India is doing much better on the economic front than several major economies around the world.
“Sam Pitroda, an associate of Rajiv Gandhi, is as clueless as vicious. He can babysit his colleague’s overgrown son but need not berate India, of which he has no clue. For instance, retail inflation in India is down to 4.7% in April 2023, the lowest in 18 months. Wholesale inflation is in the negative zone and was -0.92% for the same period, lowest in 34 months,” the BJP leader tweeted.
“India’s inflation is much lower than the US, for instance, a country Pitroda lives in. Similarly, on education, health, and employment India is much better placed, despite a debilitating pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war, as compared to world economies,” he added.
Amit Malviya went on to accuse Sam Pitroda of insulting the Hindu religion and cultivating ties with radical organizations with anti-India agendas. “But Sam’s intention to spew venom on Hindus and denigrate Temples, which have sustained civilizations, not just economies, was perhaps to please the coordinators of the program in NY and the audience they may have drawn in,” he wrote.
“It is no secret now that some ‘coordinators’ associated with the NY program are closely linked to organizations, which are front for the Jamaat-e-Islami and Muslim Brotherhood. After hobnobbing with activists linked to George Soros, it was perhaps time to turn to the likes of MCNJ, ICNA, IAMC, and IMANA, among others… All these organizations are interlinked and manned by functionaries whose aim is to undermine India’s interest, in international fora,” the BJP leader added.
(With Inputs from agencies)
