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Sam Pitroda said that India had not built global-scale technology products of its own and the talent has been used to serve others.
Congress leader Sam Pitroda (File Image/PTI)
Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda has once again sparked a controversy after he claimed that India has created “raw” talent to serve others. While commenting about India’s technology ecosystem, he said that it is “a shame that a country with 1.5 billion people does not have its own operating system.”
The comments drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused him of “bashing Bharat.”
What Sam Pitroda Said?
In an interview with a YouTube channel, the senior Congress leader said that New Delhi has created a large base of “raw” young talent but failed to leverage it for domestic innovation.
“We created a lot of young talent, but it is raw. It ultimately helped multinationals worldwide in their programming, banking, legal systems, industry, manufacturing, and logistics,” he said.
He further said that India had not built global-scale technology products of its own and the talent has been used to serve others.
“Neither have we created our own social media platform, nor have we started a big company like Microsoft. We have not even developed our own operating system. It is a shame that a country with 1.5 billion people does not have its own operating system. We could not even build an operating system for mobile phones. We have really used our talent to serve others,” Pitroda remarked.
BJP Reacts
The saffron party was quick to react, was quick to react, with party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launching a scathing attack on the Congress leader, saying that the chief advisor of ‘Lashkar E Congress’ once again “mocked Bharat with lies.”
“So after the TOPLESS act by Congress now comes chief advisor of ‘Lashkar E Congress’ — Sam Pitroda. Once again on agenda of bashing Bharat. Uncle Sam mocks Bharat with lies. Says shame on India they haven’t developed even OS for mobiles,” Poonawalla said in a post on X.
So after the TOPLESS act by Congress now comes chief advisor of Laskhkar E Congress – Sam PitrodaOnce again on agenda of Bashing BharatUncle Sam mocks Bharat with lies
Says Shame on India they haven’t developed even OS for mobiles
Clearly he hasn’t heard of
– BOSS… pic.twitter.com/6zLp7boHgH
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) February 22, 2026
He countered Pitroda’s remarks by listing Indian-developed operating systems such as BOSS Linux, Maya OS, PrimeOS, BharOS, Indus OS and NxtQuantum OS, asserting that Congress’ “only mission is to run down Bharat with lies.”
He also cited India’s digital payments system UPI, vaccine development under the Atmanirbhar initiative, and recent economic growth figures to defend the government’s record.
“Congress hates India…” he concluded.
Pitroda’s Earlier Controversies
Notably, this is not the first time Mr Pitroda has made headlines for his statements.
Last year, he came under fire after he urged the Centre to prioritise dialogue with neighbouring countries and said that India’s foreign policy should begin by strengthening ties in the region, including with Pakistan.
In an interview with IANS, Mr Pitroda said, “Our foreign policy, according to me, must first focus on our neighbourhood. Can we really substantially improve relationships with our neighbours?… I’ve been to Pakistan, and I must tell you, I felt at home. I’ve been to Bangladesh, I’ve been to Nepal, and I feel at home. I don’t feel like I’m in a foreign country…”
Pitroda has also faced backlash for his remarks on India’s diversity. In 2024, he had said, “We could hold together a country as diverse as India – where people in the East look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arabs, people in the North look maybe White, and people in the South look like Africans. It doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters.”
In 2023, Pitroda drew strong criticism from the BJP when he said that whether Ram Mandir or inflation is the real issue.
While speaking with ANI, Pitroda said, “I have no problem with any religion. It is okay to go visit the temple once in a while, but you can’t make that the main platform. 40 per cent of the people vote for BJP, and 60 per cent of the people do not vote for BJP. He is everybody’s Prime Minister and not a party’s Prime Minister and that’s the message the people of India want him to have. Talk about employment, talk about inflation, talk about science and technology and challenges. They (people) have to decide what are the real issues- is Ram Mandir the real issue? Or unemployment is a real issue. Is Ram Mandir the real issue or Inflation is a real issue?”
(With inputs from agencies)
February 22, 2026, 14:02 IST
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