Congress leader Sam Pitroda's 'diverse India' remarks stoke row: 'Racist'

Congress leader Sam Pitroda has stirred a major controversy with comments suggesting that Indians from different regions resemble specific ethnicities, drawing swift criticism from the BJP.

In an interview with The Statesman, Pitroda, while discussing India's status as a democratic example, said the country's people "survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together leaving a few fights here and there."

"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 said during the interview.

He added, "We all respect different languages, different religions, customs and food. That's the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit."

This is a developing story. It will be updated.