The Congress on Wednesday re-appointed Sam Pitroda as the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress with immediate effect weeks after he stepped down from the post following a controversy over his racist remark on the skin colour of Indians.

"Hon'ble Congress President has reappointed Shri Sam Pitroda as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress with immediate effect," senior leader KC Venugopal said in an official announcement.

Sam Pitroda had resigned on May 8 as the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress after a controversy broke out over his remarks that Indians in the East resemble the Chinese while those in the South look like Africans.

"We could hold together a country as diverse as India -- where people on East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africans. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters," Pitroda had said during an interview with The Statesman.

Following a widespread uproar over his remarks, Congress distanced itself from his statements, terming them 'unacceptable'.

"The analogies drawn by Mr Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies," Jairam Ramesh had said in a post on X.

Even the BJP lashed out at the Congress over Pitroda's remarks, calling them "racist and divisive".

Source: India Today