New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday reacted sharply
to cine star Katrina Kaif's reported remarks describing Rahul
Gandhi as half-Indian and half-Italian.
"Who is she? I do not know. Tomorrow, you will ask for
our reaction on the statement of Johny Lever. To what level
you want to bring down the level of the political discourse in
the country?" party spokesperson Manish Tewari said when asked
for his comments on Katrina's remarks.
In an interview to a newspaper, the cine star had
reportedly said "Am I supposed to be ashamed that I am half-
Asian, I mean, no! Rahul Gandhi is half-Indian, half-Italian.
So I am very proud of what I am and I just don't understand
the confusion as if I'm trying to hide the fact that my
mother's a British. Why would I?"
The report also had it that the actress, who's
constantly quizzed about having the surname Turquotte on her
passport, said "....I am not the only half-Asian half-British
person alive on this planet! My passport's copies are with
every news channel in this country don't ask me how they got
them. Everyone has my name, which is my mother's name, on the
passport."
Katrina had acted in noted film director Prakash Jha's
film 'Rajneeti' in which her reported similarities of accent
with that of Congress President Sonia Gandhi had led to
controversies initially.
Tewari, however, clarified his remarks on Johny Lever
saying it was everyone's responsibility to maintain the
dignity of political discourse when asked whether he considers
the job of a film comedian as an insignificant one.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 22:33