Chidambaram Condemns PM's Introduction of Race into Poll Debate

NEW DELHI: Congress leader P Chidambaram accuses PM Modi of racism for mentioning skin color in the presidential election debate. He asserts that both support and opposition to candidates in the previous election were based on political decisions, not skin color. Chidambaram criticizes PM Modi for bringing skin color into the debate, calling his remarks irrelevant and racist.

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being racist by bringing in skin colour in the poll debate, and said the opposition's support to Yashwant Sinha in the presidential election was not based on the colour of skin.

In a post on X, he said in the last election to the office of President of India, there were two candidates - Droupadi Murmu and Sinha.

While the BJP and its allies supported Murmu, he said 17 Opposition parties, including the Congress, supported Sinha.

''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,'' the former union minister said.

''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,'' the Congress leader alleged.

Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday attacked the Congress over its party leader Sam Pitroda's comments over skin colour and asserted that the countrymen would not tolerate insult on the basis of skin colour.

Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Modi said he has now understood that the national party sought to defeat President Murmu in the presidential poll as her ''skin colour is dark''.

Pitroda's comments that people in the eastern parts of the country resembled the Chinese, while those from the south looked like Africans had kicked up a row.