'If we have to suffer...': Sam Pitroda puts Congress in dock, backs Bangladeshi immigrants ahead of Delhi polls

Ahead of the Delhi assembly elections 2025, Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress and Rahul Gandhi's close aide Sam Pitroda has courted controversy with his take on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India. An undated video featuring Pitroda has recently went viral on various social media platforms. 

In this video, Pitroda can be heard saying that nobody is concerned about issues such as global warming and that the government is busy in "hounding immigrants who are poor and hungry." 

He further said: "They do so much work to come here... Of course illegally. I understand it is not right but we are busy targeting illegal Bangladeshis and minorities."

Not only this, he also had a word of advice for the Indian government. "We are doing this as opposed to saying we will include everybody. If we have to suffer a little bit, it's okay."

He also lamented about the fact that nobody wants to share their resources with illegal Bangladeshis and that everyone wants a bigger share of the pie. "We will share but nobody wants to share. They want to keep their pie bigger and bigger."

The issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants is among the key issues ahead of the Delhi assembly elections.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is allegedly involved in the creation of fake Aadhaar cards for Bangladeshis and used them as a "vote bank" for the upcoming elections. 

During a recent election rally, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that if the BJP is voted to power, Delhi will be made free of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas within 2 years.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also said at a rally that the AAP government in Delhi has neglected basic facilities for people while helping illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas to settle down in the Okhla area. 

Moreover, Sam Pitroda is not new to courting controversies. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year, Rahul Gandhi's close aide made racist remarks about Indians living in various parts of the country. Pitroda also proposed levying an 'inheritance tax' on Indians ahead of the general elections.