I feel sick everythime I read articles by this "Westerner" and "Born Christian". This person doesn't seem to know anything other than Hinduised version of it--may be this person has spent two much time with the Hindu Indians rather than travelling and understanding the country! Sonia Gandhi is not respected because she's Westerner or Christian --she is respected because of her status in Indian history and her Indianess(not Hinduness). India is not characterised by some Hindu ideas alone. Try to visit the vast land of North-East India and see how many types of tribes and ethnic communities are living in the North-East! People in the North-East may know less about Hinduism than you know. People in this region may follow totally different types of worshiping! But even here Sonia Gandhi is revered for her certain sacrifices in the sea of corruption of Indian politicians. I am giving example of North East India just to note how diverse India is! India is not the country of Hindutva or Hindusim as projected by your BJP/RSS/VHP friends! Its a land characterized by several religions---each religion is well respected, not because someone is from West !
