‘If Soros brings $10 billion to do something good, maybe it’s one thing to look at’: Sam Pitroda (IANS Exclusive)
New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Thursday said any proposed investment by Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist George Soros should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on the policy and the objectives involved.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, Pitroda said, “It’s up to the people who are in power. If George Soros is going to bring in a 10-billion-dollar investment to do something good, maybe it’s one thing to look at. Possible. It all depends on case by case. Policy by policy. That’s the privilege of people in power.”
Pitroda clarified that he did not personally know Soros and had never met him, despite having lived in the United States for many years.
“I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. I’ve seen him once or twice at a public meeting where he was speaking in New York, but I didn’t say hello to him. I didn’t go close to him. I have no idea,” he said.
Asked about the influence of business leaders such as Elon Musk and Soros on politics and policymaking, Pitroda said they had some influence but operated alongside politicians and other stakeholders, each with their own roles and contributions.
“They have some influence. But they do their thing, and politicians do their thing, and people do their thing. Everybody has a job to do, and they all have a contribution to make,” he said.
Pitroda added that influential individuals might seek policy changes that benefit their interests, but they did not run countries.
“They try to change policy to benefit them, but they don’t run a nation. Unless you are a country of two million people, that’s okay, perhaps,” he said.
Pitroda also addressed the exchange between the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Musk on the social media platform X regarding Starlink’s entry into the Indian market.
He rejected the interpretation that Gandhi’s response amounted to support for granting spectrum to Musk’s satellite internet company.
“I don’t think Rahul Gandhi has supported it. Rahul Gandhi is not saying that you should be given spectrum. Don’t misunderstand. Rahul Gandhi basically responded to his little note, which is okay, perfectly all right. It didn’t mean anything,” Pitroda said.
He cautioned against reading too much into the exchange, saying Gandhi’s response should not be interpreted as a promise to grant Musk a licence if the Congress leader came to power.
“It doesn’t mean that if Rahul Gandhi came to power, he’ll give a licence to Elon Musk. That’s not what it means. But again, people read different things,” he added.
–IANS
jk/dpb
