My mother more Indian than many others: Rahul

Commenting on the persistent jibes over his Italian ancestry, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that his mother, Sonia Gandhi, was more Indian than many other Indians.

"My mother is an Italian but she has lived a larger part of her life in India. She is more Indian than many Indian people I have met. My mother has sacrificed for this country, my mother has suffered for this country," Gandhi said at a press conference here.

Gandhi's statement came after a media person sought his response on the jibes centered around his ancestry, particularly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent speech, wherein he challenged Gandhi to a debate and said he could speak in any language he pleased - "English, Hindi or (his) mother's mother tongue."

"It shows the quality of our Prime Minister when he makes such statements. I'm happy to let him do so if he enjoys himself," he remarked.

With the campaigning for Karnataka polls reaching its last day, Gandhi also touched on the Congress party's election manifesto and expressed confidence in winning the polls. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other senior party leaders were also present at the press conference.

Campaigning for the election will end at 5:00 p.m. later in the day.

The election in Karnataka will be held on May 12 in 223 constituencies, out of 224 of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while the counting of votes and announcement of results will take place on May 15.

The election for one constituency has been postponed following the death of B.N. Vijay Kumar, Jayanagar BJP candidate.