Union minister of state for skill development Ananth Kumar Hegde has once again kicked off a controversy by questioning the Rahul Gandhi’s religion and asked if the Congress chief can prove how “a person born to a Muslim father and Christian mother became a Gandhi”.

While addressing an election rally in Uttar Kannada, from where Hegde is a five-time Lok Sabha MP, he asked whether Gandhi can give DNA proof to establish that he is a Brahmin. The minister’s reaction came while he referred to Gandhi’s demands for proof of the IAF strike in Balakot on February 26.

Hegde said, “Rahul Gandhi is asking for proof of airstrikes conducted by our soldiers in Pakistan. But, I will ask, what is the proof that he is a Hindu? How did a person born to a Muslim father and Christian mother become a Gandhi? A Brahmin? Will he give DNA proof?”

#WATCH: Union Minister Ananth Hegde says on Rahul Gandhi, "They want proof of surgical strikes even when whole world acknowledged it. This Muslim who calls himself a 'janeudhari Hindu', son of a Muslim father & a Christian mother, does he have proof that he is a Hindu"? (10.3.19) pic.twitter.com/FWXFky5jXH — ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2019

Hegde’s remark can be linked to Gandhi’s frequent temple visits in Gujarat ahead of state polls in 2017 where he had said that only he is a Hindu, but a 'Janeudhari Hindu', one who wears a sacred thread.

In 2018, before the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Gandhi had visited the famous Brahma Temple in Pushkar and reportedly revealed his 'gotra' as Kashmiri Kaul Brahmin.

Hegde went on to allege that after the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi, when it was asked to furnish the DNA sample of his kids to establish his identity, Sonia Gandhi had refused to let Rahul give his DNA. As a result of which, Priyanka gave her DNA, he claimed.

“When Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, DNA of his kin was needed to establish his identity. When the sample of Rahul’s DNA was asked Sonia Gandhi refused to give. Instead, she asked to take samples of Priyanka. It’s not a joke. I can show it on records,” he said.

Criticising Hegde for his remarks, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the Union minister was once again indulging in making "crude, crass and communal remarks against Rahul Gandhi".

Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde is at it again-making crude, crass and communal remarks against @RahulGandhi. His continued diatribe indicates that he has the blessings of @narendramodi and @AmitShah to indulge in such uncouth behaviour. https://t.co/XTCbsMITlM — KPCC President (@KPCCPresident) March 11, 2019

This is not the first time that Hegde has attacked Rahul. In January, he had called Gandhi a “hybrid specimen” who was “born to a Muslim and a Christian”.

Last year, During the Karnataka assembly polls, the Union minister had dubbed the Congress president a 'fake Hindu'.

Back in 2016, Hegde's speech against the Muslim community had created a huge controversy. He said, "If there is opportunity in the media, then write exactly this. Telecast exactly this. Islam is a bomb for world peace. There will be no peace in the world as long as Islam is there."