NEW DELHI, 4 April 2004 — With the Bharatiya Janata Party going all out against the foreign origin of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Congress has now begun using the same weapon against Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, who was born in Pakistan.

Taking strong offense to this strategy of Congress, Advani described it as “hollow”. The Congress argument is that if Sonia’s credentials are suspect because she is Italian, so are Advani’s.

Advani told reporters yesterday in the western town of Jaipur that the Indian constitution recognized millions of Hindus and Sikhs who had crossed over to India after the partition as Indian citizens. “Congress leaders have been making incredible claim that if Sonia Gandhi is suspect because she was born in Italy, I too should be suspect because I was born in Karachi, now in Pakistan. By questioning my credentials, Congress leaders are maligning hundreds of thousands of Punjabis and Bengalis who moved to India to remain Indians,” he said.

“I was born in Karachi which was part of India and lived in that city for 20 years as long as it was part of India. I came away when it became part of Pakistan,” Advani said.

Sonia’s Indian citizenship has been upheld by courts.

Advani claimed that Congress was divided on the issue of Sonia’s leadership. “Last time the Congress party projected Sonia Gandhi as a prospective prime minister. But this time they have not even done that because they know the weakness. They know that if she is projected as prime minister, it will not be acceptable to its allies” he said.

Advani said the foreign origin issue is not personal, but political.

Taking the same line, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said yesterday in Madras that Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin was “an issue and a major factor” in the upcoming the elections. “The issue is being discussed all over the country now,” Vajpayee claimed.

He said the issue of Sonia’s origin was as important as the country’s development plan.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayram Jayalalitha, who was at the Meenambakkam Airport to receive Vajpayee, said: “The question is whether the country needs an Indian or a foreigner to rule it. The right person to rule the country is Vajpayee, she said.

In New Delhi, Congress accused the BJP of carrying out a sustained campaign against Sonia and her family.

Congress also sought an apology from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Advani for “indecent and vulgar” remarks against the Gandhis.