Sam Pitroda, who had resigned as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress on May 8 following criticism over his “racist” remarks that were used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his election speeches against the Congress, has been reinstated to the same position.

According to a statement issued by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of organisational matters, K.C. Venugopal, the Congress president has “reappointed” Pitroda as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress with immediate effect.

Explaining the decision to reinstate Pitroda, AICC general secretary in-charge of media, Jairam Ramesh, said Pitroda had made statements and comments that were “totally unacceptable” to the Congress. “By mutual consent he stepped down as chairman of the Overseas Indian Congress. Subsequently, he clarified the context in which the statements were made and how they were later distorted by the Modi campaign. The Congress president has reappointed him on the assurance that he will not in future leave room for such controversies to arise,” Ramesh said.

Twice during the long-drawn campaign, Pitroda put the Congress in trouble with his remarks as he had done in the 2019 elections. Though the party quickly went into damage-control mode and disassociated itself from Pitroda’s remarks on both occasions, his proximity to the Gandhi family put the party in more than a spot of bother.

His connection with the Congress’s first family is widely perceived to have insulated him from disciplinary actions despite putting the party in difficult situations several times, particularly during the last election, and his reinstatement less than two months later confirms it.