The Times of India splashed a drawing of Ms Gandhi rowing a Venetian-style boat with a map of Italy in the background under the headline, “The Fall and Rise of the Roman Empire”.
The Asian Age printed derisive mobile phone messages about Ms Gandhi circulating since she led the Congress party to a shock victory over Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Hindu nationalist party.
Anand Kumar, an analyst at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, noted the media focus on Ms Gandhi’s roots could fuel the issue.
Yesterday, Ms Gandhi was set to present President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam with letters of support given by 11 coalition partners endorsing her leadership of a coalition headed by Congress, and her claim to the office of prime minister of the world’s largest democracy.
