(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 31 - A major political row broke out on Tuesday when Giovanni Donzelli, a member of Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) group, questioned whether the opposition centre-left Democratic Party was on the side of the State or that of terrorists in the Lower House.
    Speaking during discussion of the creation of an anti-mafia commission for the current parliamentary term, Donzelli referred to the case of jailed anarchist leader Alfredo Cospito, who has been on hunger strike for over 100 days to protest against the tough 41 bis jail regime he is being held under.
    The 41 bis is usually reserved for top mafia bosses and Donzelli said the Mob was using Cospito to have the jail regime abolished.
    He said that four PD lawmakers, including former justice minister Andrea Orlando and Lower House Whip Debora Serracchiani visited Cospito on January 12 and "encouraged him in the battle.
    "So I want to know if the Left is on the side of the State or that of the terrorists," Donzelli added.
    The comments led to uproar in the Lower House, with the PD demanding Donzelli apologize, saying his words had broken the unity of Italy's parties on the fight against the mafia.
    Serracchiani said Donzelli's words were "extremely serious" and had a "content and character of criminal significance".
    She also called on Meloni to say whether she agreed with them.
    Donzelli refused to apologize, saying the Left should say sorry for "stuttering over Cospito".
    Sources said Donzelli had the support of Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League, one of FdI's alliance partners.
    The Italian media have reported that Cospito's hunger strike is aimed at getting the 41 bis regime scrapped completely for all prisoners, including jailed mafiosi.
    The regime was first introduced for domestic rightist and leftists terrorists in the mid 1980s and later stiffened for Mafia dons following an all-out Mob assault on the State.
    (ANSA).