Congress leader and overseas chief Sam Pitroda has triggered a row by urging the government to prioritise ties with neighbouring countries, including Pakistan.
“Our foreign policy must first focus on our neighbourhood. Can we really substantially improve relationships with our neighbours? I’ve been to Pakistan, and I must tell you, I felt at home. I’ve been to Bangladesh, I’ve been to Nepal, and I feel at home. I don’t feel like I’m in a foreign country,” Pitroda said in an interview with IANS.
Pitroda added that while terrorism and violence remain serious concerns, countries in the region share cultural and historical ties.
“There is a problem of violence; of course, there is a problem of terrorism…but at the end of the day, in that neighbourhood, there is a common gene pool. I’ve been to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. I don’t feel like I’m in a foreign country,” he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that the Congress has an “undying love” for Pakistan and accused the party of undermining India’s security interests.
“Rahul Gandhi’s closest ally and leader, family friend Uncle Sam Pitroda (who said Hua to Hua for 1984 Anti Sikh Genocide), who made racially disgusting comments on Indians, says he feels at home in Pakistan. Why is it surprising? Congress has undying love for Pakistan. They even spoke to Hafiz Saeed via Yasin Malik,” spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla posted on X.
He further claimed that Congress leaders have repeatedly aligned with Pakistan’s position on critical issues.
“They give clean chit to Pak on 26/11, Samjhauta, Pulwama and Pahalgam. They articulate Pak position on 370 and Surgical Strike and undermine our forces. They give 80 percent water to Pak under IWT. They love Pakistan. INC is Islamabad National Congress. Sam Pitroda who divides Indians and stays in the US away from India finds a home in Pakistan. Is anyone surprised?” he wrote.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, “No wonder UPA took no tough action against Pak even after 26/11. Pakistan’s favourite, Congress’s chosen.”
Pitroda, a trusted adviser to the Gandhi family since his rise as a technocrat close to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s, has previously faced criticism for controversial comments on foreign policy.
Earlier this year, he questioned the narrative of a security threat from China, arguing that India should not view Beijing as an enemy.
“I don’t understand the threat from China. I think this issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has a tendency to define an enemy. I believe the time has come for all nations to collaborate, not confront. Our approach has been confrontational from the very beginning, and this attitude creates enemies, which in turn garners support within the country. We need to change this mindset and stop assuming that China is the enemy from day one,” Pitroda said in February.
His statement at the time came in response to a question on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump could rein in China. India had formally rejected Trump’s offer to mediate the border dispute with Beijing.
