Hitting out at the Congress for questioning the legitimacy of the citizenship of a BJP by-poll candidate in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that questions can also be raised on the nationality of the opposition party's top leader Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress in its campaigning for Dholai constituency has cast doubts about the citiznship of BJP candidate Nihar Ranjan Das.

Addressing a rally here while campaigning for Das, Sarma said, "If you (Congress) call Nihar Ranjan 'Bangladeshi', I will also call Sonia Gandhi 'Italian'. If you think I am afraid of Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, let me tell you I am not."

Sarma maintained that Bengali Hindu residents of present Barak Valley of Assam were dwellers of what is now Bangladesh as it was the same country prior to Partition.

He blamed the Congress for creating the problems for Bengali-Hindus of Barak Valley, who had to move to present-day Assam following Partition of the country due to atrocities on religious minorities there. Sarma also held the grand old party responsible for the Partition of India in 1947.

"Had you not bifurcated Bharat, atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh would not have happened," the chief minister asserted.

"Hindus are facing atrocities even now (in Bangladesh). We can see this on television and social media. But you (Congress) cannot raise these issues. Congress was formed to play only negative politics," the CM added. Sarma had addressed another campaign rally under Dholai constituency earlier in the day.