After Sam Pitroda calls Modi 'Gujarati friend', PM sends Diwali wishes to Congress leader, wife

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended Diwali and Gujarati New Year greetings to Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda after the Congress leader described him as his “Gujarati friend” and said he had no personal issues with him despite their political differences.

"Happy Diwali and Nutan Varsh Abhinandan to you, Sam Bhai, and to Anjana Ben.Praying for a joyful and healthy year ahead. Jai Jagannath!" PM Modi posted on X, tagging Pitroda.

The exchange comes after Pitroda, in an interview with news agency IANS, spoke about his personal equation with Modi and said that despite their political differences, he shared a cordial relationship with the Prime Minister. He said he respected Modi as an individual and recalled meeting him along with his wife on several occasions.

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Sam Pitroda on PM Modi

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda says, “He is a Gujarati friend. I respect him as a person. My wife and I have met him,” he said.

"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. I have nothing against Mr. Modi as a Gujarati leader, friend or well-wisher. He has been very warm towards me, and I appreciate that. Similarly, I have been to his house in Gujarat several times..."

Pitroda, however, drew a distinction between his personal relationship with Modi and his disagreements with the Prime Minister's political positions. He said his criticism was directed at Modi's ideology and worldview rather than at him as an individual.

"But I may have issues with his views of the world. I may have issues with his ideology. But that's a separate issue; that's not against the individual. It's against the idea. And these are two separate things."

Emphasising that political disagreements did not prevent them from sharing a cordial personal equation, Pitroda said he could disagree with Modi while still socialising with him.

"I can disagree with Mr Modi, and I can also have dinner with him and have a laugh. So I have no issues," he added.