In the theatre of politics, where drama and comedy often intertwine, the role of friends and foes can be a tricky one to navigate. Just ask Sam Pitroda, the one-man think-tank of the Indian National Congress, who seems to have inadvertently enrolled in the School of Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome. Nestled comfortably in the US but with a heart still beating for his motherland, Pitroda’s musings on policy matters carry weight, or so they thought until he dropped the inheritance tax bombshell. Suddenly, he became the unwitting poster child for BJP scare tactics – if the Congress comes to power, brace yourselves for wealth exodus, they warned, invoking visions of buffalo snatchers in the night.
But Pitroda’s knack for stirring the pot didn’t end there. It seems he might have a touch of ocular dysfunction, mistaking Indians for a global United Nations parade. Assamese? Chinese. Gujarati? Arab. South Indian? African. North Indian? White as snow. It’s like he’s playing a real-life game of ‘Guess Who?’ with regional stereotypes. His unintentional tour de racism left many scratching their heads – in India, labelling someone by their ethnicity is as welcome as a monsoon without rain. Yet, in Pitroda’s kaleidoscope of perception, diversity becomes a game of ‘Who’s That Pokémon?’ where every Indian is a unique blend of international flavours.
One can't help but wonder if Pitroda's verbal acrobatics are deliberate or merely a comedic subplot in the grand theatre of Indian politics. Either way, he's certainly mastered the art of keeping the audience entertained, even if it's at the expense of the grand old party's credibility. As the curtain falls on yet another act of political folly, we can only hope that Pitroda’s next role is less slapstick and more statesman-like. That is if the party reinstates him in the Indian Overseas Congress!
