PM Modi Extends Diwali Greetings to Sam Pitroda Amid Warm Personal Remarks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded on Thursday to Diwali greetings from Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda by addressing him as “Sam Bhai” on social media.

The Prime Minister wrote on X, “Happy Diwali and Nutan Varsh Abhinandan to you Sam Bhai and to Anjana Ben. Praying for a joyful and healthy year ahead. Jai Jagannath,” according to reports.

The exchange followed an interview in which Pitroda discussed his personal relationship with the Prime Minister, describing him as warm and hardworking despite political disagreements.

“He is a Gujarati friend. I respect him as a person. My wife and I have met him. He has been very warm, kind, loving and caring at a personal level. Of course, he is a good orator and hard-working, and we get along well. We have no personal issues,” Pitroda said.

Pitroda added that he had visited Modi’s residence in Gujarat several times and maintained that his disagreements with the Prime Minister concerned ideology rather than the individual.

The public warmth stands in contrast to past political friction between the two figures. The Times of India reported that Prime Minister Modi sharply criticized Pitroda during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign over remarks regarding the physical appearances of Indians and comments concerning wealth redistribution.

Pitroda’s recent remarks also prompted a light-hearted exchange on X when a user named Mihir Jha asked the Prime Minister to extend Diwali wishes to him as well.

“Aapko bhi Happy Diwali Mihir Bhai. Have a great festive season and year ahead,” Modi responded.