Sam Pitroda lurched into yet another controversy after the centre fact-checked the Congress veteran over a claim about disruptions while lecturing at the ‘Indian Institute of Technology in Ranchi’.
The Education Ministry put out a sharp statement Wednesday pointing out there is no IIT in the Jharkhand capital. There is an Indian Institute of Information Technology, the ministry said.
But IIIT Ranchi has no record of Mr Pitroda being invited to deliver any lecture, either in-person or via a video link, the ministry said, calling the claim about hacker-vandals and a disrupted speech a “baseless and reckless statement… to malign the image of an extremely reputed institution”.
“This institution has stood the test of time and produced some of the brightest minds in the country…” the ministry said, labelling Mr Pitroda an “uninformed person”. “IITs’ reputations are built on the merit, hard work, and achievement of many students, teachers, and academia.”
Clarification on the recent remarks made by Shri Sam Pitroda in his webcast
It has come to the notice that Shri Sam Pitroda shared a video on his “X” handle on 22nd Feb 2025. He made a statement in that video that he was speaking at the IIT Ranchi to several hundred students,…
— Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) February 26, 2025
The ministry said it “condemns the statement (by Sam Pitroda) and reiterates that any such attempt to malign the image of the premier institution will face legal repercussions.”
The row – the latest with Mr Pitroda at the centre – broke after he spoke about the ‘IIT Ranchi lecture disruption’ during a podcast shared on his X account on February 22.
In the video – a discussion on the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi today – Mr Pitroda was speaking about the importance of freedom of speech in a democracy, and said, “Recently I was speaking at Ranchi IIT to several hundred students… and someone hacked in and started showing pornography.”
“… (we) had to turn it (the video stream) off. Now is that democracy? Is that fair? I don’t think so… I think institutional independence is at the core of democracy,” he said.
Mr Pitroda – an advisor to former Prime Minister and Congress stalwart Rajiv Gandhi, and is widely seen as mentor to his son and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi – is no stranger to controversy.
Last week his comments about China – that India should change its mindset and its “confrontational approach”, and stop assuming Beijing is an enemy – triggered a furious pushback from the BJP.
READ | “Stop Assuming China Is Enemy…”: Congress’ Sam Pitroda
The remark was heavily criticised; the BJP called it a “very deep blow to India’s sovereignty” and claimed confirmation of its position – that the Congress and China have an ‘understanding’.
READ | Congress Leader’s “China Not Enemy” Remark Sparks Row
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari pointed to the connection between Mr Pitroda and Mr Gandhi and accused the Congress of prioritising China’s interest above what is best for India.
Forced to respond, the Congress distanced itself from Mr Pitroda’s remark.
“The views reported by Sam Pitroda on China are certainly not the views of the Indian National Congress. China remains our biggest foreign policy, external security, and economic challenge,” the party’s comms-in-charge, Jairam Ramesh, said on X.
READ | “Not Our Views”: Congress On Sam Pitroda’s China Remark
The China gaffe was months after a comment about diversity – which triggered complaints of racism – that saw him temporarily removed from his post as boss of the Congress’ overseas unit.
He was reinstated after explaining the context of his remarks and claiming the BJP had maliciously misinterpreted it. Mr Ramesh then had said Mr Pitroda had “given an assurance” he would, in future, leave no room for controversy. Mr Pitroda, though, contradicted that statement.
