February 27, 2025: New Delhi: Congress veteran Sam Pitroda has landed in yet another controversy after the central government fact-checked his claim regarding a disrupted lecture at "IIT Ranchi." The Education Ministry on Wednesday issued a sharp statement, clarifying that no Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) exists in Ranchi. Instead, there is an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in the Jharkhand capital.

Furthermore, the ministry dismissed Pitroda’s allegations as "baseless and reckless," stating that IIIT Ranchi has no record of him delivering any lecture, either in-person or virtually. The ministry accused him of attempting to "malign the image of an extremely reputed institution" and strongly condemned his statements.

"This institution has stood the test of time and produced some of the brightest minds in the country... Any such attempt to malign its reputation will face legal repercussions," the ministry warned.

The controversy erupted after Pitroda, in a podcast shared on his X account on February 22, claimed his speech at "IIT Ranchi" had been disrupted by hackers who displayed explicit content. "Recently, I was speaking at Ranchi IIT to several hundred students, and someone hacked in and started showing pornography… We had to turn it off," he had stated, questioning the state of democracy and institutional independence in India.

Pitroda, a close aide of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and a mentor to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has been embroiled in several controversies. Last week, his remarks on China, suggesting India should abandon a "confrontational approach" and not treat Beijing as an enemy, sparked strong reactions from the BJP. The ruling party called it a "deep blow to India’s sovereignty" and accused the Congress of aligning with China’s interests.

Amid mounting backlash, the Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s China remarks, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh clarifying that his views "are certainly not those of the Indian National Congress."

Pitroda had also drawn criticism months ago for comments on diversity that were perceived as racist, leading to his temporary removal as head of the Congress' overseas unit. Though reinstated after clarification, this latest controversy has once again put him in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.