The questions about Sonia Gandhi’s Italian roots are back on social media after Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami criticized her silence on the Palghar lynching by addressing her as ‘Antonia Maino’, her earlier name.
Post Goswami’s criticism on National Television, Congress leaders on Twitter lashed out on social media while the Youth Wing of the party filed a police complaint accusing Arnab of spreading communal hatred. The matters escalated later that night when Goswami alleged that he was attacked by Youth Congress workers while he was returning from office. In the video message posted by him, he holds Sonia Gandhi responsible for the attack against him.
APJ Abdul Kalaam questioned Sonia’s dual citizenship
With Sonia Gandhi’s roots in question, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy took Twitter to claim that the Vajpayee government waived off the citizenship requirement for Sonia Gandhi. Responding to a tweet by a user who posted a picture of her supposed citizenship certificate with the signature of Antonia Maino, Subramanian Swamy has said the case could be re-opened. Swamy also claimed that Sonia Gandhi refused to file her renouncing Italian Citizenship certificate after which the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi intervened and waved off the requirements orally. Years later, the Vajpayee government waived off in file.
An Officer of Home Ministry on file objected since she refused to file her Italian citizenship renouncing certificate. Indira orally intervened and waived the mandatory requirement!! During the Vajpayee govt it was waived in writing on file.We can re-open it.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) April 23, 2020
Responding to another question by a user who first referred her as Antonia Maino, Swamy replied that the question arose in parliament about her birthplace. In a document, Sonia Gandhi had reportedly mentioned it as Lusiana along the Swiss border which served as Hitler’s Rest and Recuperation center during World War 2.
As far as I remember, it arose as a question about where TDK was born. In Parliament Who's Who she has recorded it as Orbassano. Her birth records it is Antonia +++ born at Lusiana [on Swiss border]. It was a Rest& Recuperation Centre for Hitler's army till 1945.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) April 23, 2020
Responding to another tweet, Swamy claimed that former President APJ Abdul Kalaam had told her about having dual passports and citizenship after Swamy wrote a letter to him. The user urged to ban ‘Sonia Maino’ from Politics.
Dr.Abdul Kalaam told her this on May 18, 2004 in Rashtrapati Bhavan based on my documents given to him the previous day.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) April 23, 2020
Antonio Maino, the former name of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi was born on the 9th December 1946 to parents Stefano and Paola Maino in Lusiana, Italy. The little girl who played in the fields of Turin would later go onto handle the oldest political party of the biggest democracy in the world. Father Stefano was a mason who had established a little construction business. Prior to that, Stefano was a prisoner of war in Russia following the Second World War. He was a loyal supporter of the Italian Fascist leader Mussolini. The house would be filled with books about the leader.
Source: FreePress Journal
