Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her alleged opposition to the singing of Vande Mataram, asserting that every citizen must respect the national song. Kumaraswamy made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Holenarasipura, Hassan district, Karnataka.

Kumaraswamy's Attack on Sonia Gandhi

When reporters raised allegations that Sonia Gandhi had objected to the singing of Vande Mataram, Kumaraswamy did not hold back. He remarked: '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?'

The minister stressed that Parliament had formally recognised that the song — written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee — deserves due respect. He recalled that Vande Mataram had been sung at a Congress session attended by Mahatma Gandhi, and that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had also sung it. Kumaraswamy accused the Congress of displaying 'narrow-mindedness' on the issue and warned that the party would face further electoral consequences.

Hanur Shooting Incident

Kumaraswamy also addressed the recent shooting incident in Hanur, where three members of the same family died. He said the anger and grief of the affected families and local farmers was 'understandable' and 'natural.' The government had claimed the deceased had entered the forest for deer hunting, and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had ordered an investigation.

Kumaraswamy questioned the manner in which forest personnel opened fire. 'That was wrong. If they had fired at the legs or in a manner that did not pose a threat to life, everyone would have accepted it,' he said. He called on the government to create better opportunities and a secure future to prevent such incidents.

Bidadi Padayatra and Land Acquisition Row

The minister turned his fire on the Congress government's advertisements related to the Bidadi padayatra, challenging Chief Minister Shivakumar to release the findings of the government's own fact-finding committee. Kumaraswamy alleged that farmers and women farmers had opposed land acquisition and had been protesting for around 500 days.

'Farmers and women farmers have clearly said that they will not give their land. Why are you using force and allegedly sending rowdies to intimidate them? What are you trying to achieve by threatening that grant land will be taken back if people do not surrender their land?' he asked.

Kagodu Thimappa Committee Report

Kumaraswamy demanded that the Karnataka government make public the report of the Kagodu Thimappa Committee, which he claimed had recommended against establishing a township at the disputed location under any circumstances. He also questioned why the government was insisting on the township project when, according to him, alternative land was available elsewhere.

Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, Kumaraswamy said: 'Print the recommendations you made at that time and publish them as advertisements. If you do that, it will save us some money on advertisements as well.' With assembly politics heating up, Kumaraswamy's multi-pronged attack signals that the Janata Dal (Secular)–Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine intends to keep pressure on the Karnataka Congress government on multiple fronts.