'Gujarati friend': PM Modi extends festive greetings to Sam 'Bhai' Pitroda, wife

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended Diwali and Gujarati New Year greetings to Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda after the latter referred to him as a "Gujarati friend" and termed him "very kind" and "hardworking" during an interview with IANS.

In a post on X, PM Modi said: "Happy Diwali and Nutan Varsh Abhinandan to you Sam Bhai and to Anjana Ben."

"Praying for a joyful and healthy year ahead. Jai Jagannath!," he added.

Earlier, Pitroda described Prime Minister Modi as a "good orator" who is "very warm, kind, loving and caring", while adding that he has no "personal issues" with the Prime Minister.

Pitroda's surprising remarks came in response to a question about Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi once describing PM Modi as a "big orator".

Asked for his opinion of the Prime Minister, Pitroda, in an exclusive interview with IANS, said that he "respects him (PM Modi) as a person" and thinks that he is "hardworking".

"He (PM Modi) is a Gujarati friend. I respect him as a person. I met him. My wife and I met him. He's been very warm, very kind, very loving, caring at a personal level. Of course, he's a good orator, hardworking, okay. We get along well," Pitroda told IANS.

"We have no personal issues. I have nothing against Mr Modi as a Gujarati leader, friend, and well-wisher. He's very warm to me. No issues about that. I appreciate that," he further said.

The Congress leader said that the issues he has with PM Modi are based on ideologies and not on a personal level.

"And equally on my side, you know, I've been to his house in Gujarat several times. 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. You know, 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.

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