HD Kumaraswamy’s ‘Italian blood’ jibe at Sonia Gandhi sparks fresh Vande Mataram row: ‘More Indian than many Indians’

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has sparked a row after his remarks ovr Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's ‘foreign origin’ amid a political storm over over the national song Vande Mataram.

Kumaraswamy, the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, on Monday 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 told reporters in Hassan on Monday, as per a report in Deccan Herald.

Kumaraswamy said that the Congress did not seem to like Vande Mataram and that there was no need for its leaders to display "narrow-mindedness" on the issue.

Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad hit back at Kumaraswamy and called him a ‘frustrated man’.

"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.

On Tuesday, Kumaraswamy asked what Sonia Gandhi 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 it.

What is the Vande Mataram Row?

The controversy erupted after visuals from the Independence Day programme at the Congress headquarters showed senior party leaders speaking among themselves while Vande Mataram was being recited. BJP leaders have criticised their conduct, alleging that it amounted to disrespect towards the National Song.

On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress of "shamelessness" over Vande Mataram, alleging that party leader Sonia Gandhi stopped the national song midway at the Congress headquarters.

Referring to a video from the Congress headquarters, Shah said, "Look at their (Congress's) shamelessness. The anthem Vande Mataram was being sung at the Congress Party headquarters. During the anthem, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi told the Congress President to stop singing. We all just kept watching on TV."

"Sonia ji, 140 crore people are watching you. This sin you have committed will never be forgiven by the people of this country. How can anyone even dream of leaving the anthem Vande Mataram incomplete? The people of Congress should feel ashamed," he said while addressing a public gathering.

However, the Congress asserted that Sonia Gandhi's actions had nothing to do with the national song played at the venue. The party maintained that she was merely trying to ensure that the correct arrangements for Vande Mataram were sung properly in the event.

(With agency inputs)