Indians in the East look like Chinese... People in the South look like Africa - Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda

Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda sparked new controversy with a rasist remark saying, " Indian 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 Africa".

The senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda - whose last month statement about an inheritance tax sparked a massive critisism from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party - has now triggered another row in his latest interview.

In an exclusive interview with The Statesman, Mr Pitroda described India as a "... diverse country... 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 Africa".

However the Congress party has distanced itself from the remark.

"The analogies given by Sam Pitroda to India's diversity are extremely wrong and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely disassociates itself from these analogies," senior leader Jairam Ramesh said on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded a response from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Pitroda's remark, saying that the country "won't tolerate disrespect on the basis of the colour of skin".