PM Of 1.5 Billion People Deserves Respect: Sam Pitroda On US State Visit

Mr Pitroda, the chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress, is currently accompanying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his three-city six-day US tour.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic trip to the US on an official state visit, Congress leader Sam Pitroda has said that the premier of the world's most populous nation deserves respect everywhere, and he is "proud" of it.

Mr Pitroda, the chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress, is currently accompanying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his three-city six-day US tour.

While Mr Gandhi has focused on his alternate vision of India as against that of the ruling BJP and has been highly critical of Prime Minister Modi-led government, he has supported the ruling party's foreign policy stands on issues like the war in Ukraine and China.

"He (Mr Gandhi) knows where we (India) are doing something right, we are all for it. And you see, someone told me that, the Indian Prime Minister is getting a lot of reception. And I said I'm happy about it because, at the end of the day, he's also my prime minister. But let's not make a mistake. He's getting reception because he's India's prime minister. And not because he's BJP's prime minister. Separate these two things," Sam Pitroda told PTI in an interview.