SANTEMARANAHALLI: The issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin was raked up once again today when Prime Minister Narendra Modi dared Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to talk for 15 minutes about the achievements of the Karnataka government in any language, including his "mother's mother tongue".
Modi was responding to Rahul Gandhi's dare to allow him to speak for 15 minutes in Parliament on various issues, including corruption, and that the Prime Minister will not be able to sit for 15 minutes.
"I dare the Congress president to speak in Hindi, English or the mother tongue of his mother to deliver a speech in Karnataka for 15 minutes, without reading out from a piece of paper, on the achievements of the party government. People of Karnataka will draw their own conclusion," he said.
Senior BJP leaders, including its president Amit Shah, have often brought up the issue of Sonia's Italian origin while targeting her son.
At his election rallies, Shah has frequently taken on 'Rahul baba', saying he was unable to see the changes brought about by the Modi government as he was wearing Italian spectacles.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had, in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, said Sonia was entitled to the "love, affection and respect" but not acceptable as the Prime Minister of the country.
"I have always maintained that Sonia Gandhi came to our country as daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi and wife of Rajiv Gandhi and thus she is entitled to our love and affection. As the president of the Congress party she is entitled to our respect. But if she wants to become the Prime Minister then I say no," Swaraj had said.
Even Modi as the Gujarat Chief Minister had assailed Sonia, "a person not from our soil", for giving lessons in "swabhiman" (self respect).
"A person not of our soil should not give us lessons about 'swabhiman' (self respect)," Modi had told an election rally in Nashik ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.