Former Union Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of injecting racism into the political discourse. Chidambaram's remarks came in response to PM Modi's recent comments regarding skin colour in the context of political decisions.
Chidambaram criticised Modi for allegedly injecting race into the electoral narrative and emphasised that opposition support for Yashwant Sinha in the presidential election was not contingent upon skin colour.
"In the last election for the office of President of India, there were two candidates: Droupadi Murmu and Sinha," Chidambaram stated in a post on social media platform X.
"Support for a candidate was not based on the colour of the skin. Opposition to a candidate was also not based on the colour of the skin. Support or opposition was a political decision, and every elector abided by the decision of his or her party."
Chidambaram further questioned the relevance of the Prime Minister's remarks on skin colour in the election discourse. "Why did the Hon'ble PM bring the colour of the skin into the election debate?" he asked. "The PM's remarks are completely irrelevant and blatantly racist," he alleged.
Prime Minister Modi had criticised the Congress party over remarks made by its leader, Sam Pitroda, regarding skin color. Modi asserted that such insults based on skin colour would not be tolerated by the nation.
He also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that the party sought to oppose President Murmu in the presidential poll due to her "dark" skin colour.
The controversy erupted following Pitroda's comments, wherein he remarked that people in the eastern parts of the country resembled the Chinese, while those from the south looked like Africans.
The remarks stirred widespread debate and drew condemnation from various quarters.
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