Italian blood in her veins: Kumaraswamy on Sonia Gandhi amid Vande Mataram row

Mangalore Today News Network

Hassan, Aug 18, 2026: Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy launched a sharp verbal attack on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, questioning her national identity and remarks regarding the ’Vande Mataram’ controversy.

Speaking to reporters, in Hassan, on Monday, Kumaraswamy asked, "Is Sonia Gandhi from our nation? She migrated to India after marriage. Naturally, Italian blood flows in her veins."

 

Reacting to the recent controversy surrounding the gestures made during the ’Vande Mataram’ recitation at an Independence Day event in a Congress office, Kumaraswamy dismissed the justifications offered by Congress leaders.

"They are now giving excuses that the gestures were made to arrange chairs. It is not so easy to escape by lying now. People know everything," he said.

Highlighting the historical significance of the national song, Kumaraswamy noted that ’Vande Mataram’ was first adopted publicly at an event attended by Mahatma Gandhi. Criticising the Congress party’s approach, he said, "Public perception about Congress leaders is already turning a certain way. Why is there a need to amplify this and ruin their own political future?"

He pointed out that a law has already been legislated in the Parliament regarding honoring ’Vande Mataram’ on par with the national anthem, asserting that Congress leaders need not display pettiness on such national matters.