‘Inheritance tax’ to ‘selfish middle class,’ 6 remarks by Sam Pitroda that put Congress on the back

What did Sam Pitroda say on April 23?

Pitroda, on April 23, seemingly backed the Congress party’s stand on redistribution of wealth and advocated an inheritance tax law in the country while elaborating on the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in the United States. 

The statement assumes significance because Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused Congress of planning to redistribute the wealth of people among “those with more children," a charge the grand old party has denied.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies, he can only transfer probably 45 percent to his children, 55 percent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law. It says you, in your generation, made wealth, and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair," Pitroda said in an interview.

Also Read: Sam Pitroda on inheritance tax controversy: ‘Who said this should be done in India? Why is the BJP in panic?'

This is not the first time that Pitroda, considered close to the Gandhi family, has put the Congress party in the dock. Many of his previous statements, too, didn’t go well with his party and were criticised by the BJP.

‘Hua to Hua’ (so what) on 1984 anti-Sikh riots

In May 2019, Pitroda, when questioned on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, set off a storm by replying “so what" to a question on the alleged involvement of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the riots.

“Ab kya hai ’84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. ’84 mein hua to hua. You were voted to create jobs. You were voted to create 200 smart cities. Aapne wo bhi nahi kiya. Aapne kuch nahi kiya isliye aap yahan wahan gup lagate hain. (What about 1984 (riots) now? Talk about what you did in the last five years. What happened in 1984 has happened. So what? You were voted to create jobs. You were voted to create 200 smart cities. You did not even do that. You did nothing, so you keep talking about here and there.) Pitroda had said this in response to a question on the BJP’s allegation that the instructions during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 came from Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s office.

The remarks during the Lok Sabha 2024 Elections have sparked a political row with Prime Minister Narendra Modi linking these comments to Rahul Gandhi. Pitroda is considered Rahul Gandhi’s advisor. Pitroda later apologised for his remarks, even as Congress issued a clarification. Rahul Gandhi condemned the