- Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy criticised Sonia Gandhi over alleged opposition to Vande Mataram
- Kumaraswamy questioned Sonia Gandhi's Indian identity citing her Italian origin
- Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad defended Sonia Gandhi, praising her patriotism and sacrifice
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy's attack on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's "foreign origin" amid the controversy over the national song Vande Mataram has invited a sharp retort from the Congress.
Kumaraswamy, who is the Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, on Monday strongly criticised Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over alleged opposition to singing Vande Mataram, saying everyone should respect the national song.
"What else can one expect from Sonia Gandhi? Is Sonia Gandhi from our country? She came to our country after marriage. The blood flowing in her is Italian blood, isn't it?" Kumaraswamy had said.
He added that the Congress did not seem to like Vande Mataram and said there was no need for its leaders to display "narrow-mindedness" on the issue.
Hitting back at Kumaraswamy, Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad called him a "frustrated man" and said that Sonia Gandhi is "more Indian than many Indians".
Read | "Country Won't Forgive": Amit Shah To Sonia Gandhi Over Vande Mataram Row
"Kumaraswamy is a frustrated man. If he talks about Sonia Gandhi ji in such a manner, then he should know that she is more Indian than many Indians. Her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, sacrificed his life for this nation. She's fighting for a united India, a just India," Arshad said.
But undeterred, Kumaraswamy on Tuesday doubled down on his attack on Sonia Gandhi, asking what she had sacrificed. "Her husband has sacrificed, yes, but what has she sacrificed? She disrespected it (Vande Mataram). She is obviously not Indian, she is Italian. She married an Indian citizen. She is from Italy. That is why she is opposing Indian sentiments," Kumaraswamy said.
Kumaraswamy recalled that Vande Mataram had been sung at a Congress session in which Mahatma Gandhi had participated and that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had also sung the song.
The BJP on Saturday accused Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at the party's Independence Day event.
However, the Congress denied the charge, asserting that there was no attempt to stop the singing of the full version of the national song and that Gandhi was only asking for a chair for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge as he had been standing for a while.
Sharing video footage of the Congress' event on X, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh said, "Mother, son and national president (of the Congress) seem to be upset by the rendering of full Vande Mataram."
"Certain mindsets never change from pre-1947 to post-1947," the senior BJP leader added.
