BJP targets Sam Pitroda over China remark; Congress says not party’s view
Overseas Congress leader Sam Pitroda had suggested that the threat from China is an issue that is often blown out of proportion
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday targeted Overseas Congress leader Sam Pitroda over his remark that the threat from China is an issue that is “often blown out of proportion”, terming it a “serious blow to India’s identity, diplomacy and sovereignty.”
“I don’t fully understand the threat from China. This issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has the habit of defining an enemy. I think the time has come for all of us to network nations and not have confrontation,” Pitroda, the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chief, said during an interaction with news agency IANS.
He was responding to a question about whether US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could jointly address the challenges posed by China.
His statement came at a time US President Trump offered to mediate in the ongoing border tensions between India and China — a proposal that New Delhi has rejected, reaffirming that it handles such disputes bilaterally.
“Our approach has been one of confrontation from the beginning, and this mindset creates adversaries while also generating certain domestic political support. I believe we need to rethink this pattern. Assuming China is an enemy from day one is neither fair to China nor beneficial to anyone,” Pitroda added.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi slammed Pitroda’s remarks at a press conference in Delhi.
“This is not an isolated statement. Similar comments have been made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on multiple occasions. During a foreign visit, he claimed that China had successfully addressed unemployment and that press freedom there was better than in India. Are these remarks not an insult to the 20 soldiers who were martyred in Galwan?” Trivedi said.
The Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments.
“The views reportedly expressed by Mr Sam Pitroda on China are most definitely NOT the views of the Indian National Congress. China remains our foremost foreign policy, external security, as well as economic challenge. The INC has repeatedly raised questions on the Modi Govt’s approach to China, including the PM’s public clean chit to it on June 19, 2020. Our most recent statement on China was on 28th January 2025,” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
Earlier, Pitroda’s remark that “people in the east look like Chinese, people in the west resemble Arabs, people in the north may look white, and people in the south resemble Africans” had courted a controversy in May 2024 when the Lok Sabha elections were underway.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed his remark as “divisive” and an “insult to the people of India”. Amid the backlash, Pitroda resigned as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. However, he was reappointed later.
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