Modi sends Diwali greetings to Sam Pitroda after the latter's remarks on personal warmth
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Sam Pitroda a happy Diwali on X, following Pitroda's comments separating personal respect from political disagreement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a Diwali greeting to Sam Pitroda on the social platform X, writing, "Happy Diwali and Nutan Varsh Abhinandan to you Sam Bhai and to Anjana Ben. Praying for a joyful and healthy year ahead. Jai Jagannath!" Pitroda, a former technology minister and member of the Congress party, had earlier said he holds no personal grudge against Modi, describing the prime minister as "very warm" and noting that he has visited Modi's home in Gujarat. He added that while he may disagree with Modi's worldview and ideology, those disagreements are separate from personal relations, stating, "I can disagree with Mr Modi and I can also have dinner with him… and a laugh."
Pitroda made the comments while defending Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's memoir, which the BJP has criticized for allegedly justifying the 1975 Emergency and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He described the book as "full of love, courage, commitment, conviction and character" and urged generosity toward authors before commenting. Earlier, Pitroda dismissed allegations of foreign funding against Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc as "bogus," asserting that there is no foreign money or advice influencing the party.