In a curious move, the Central government has asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to prove his nationality. In response to a complaint filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, the Ministry of Home Affairs shot off a notice to Rahul, giving him 14 days to prove his nationality.
The development came as a surprise, especially since the issue of Rahul's nationality had died down since 2015, when the Supreme Court trashed a PIL on the issue. Later in the same year, Parliament's ethics committee, under the chairmanship of veteran BJP leader LK Advani, didn't pursue it.
However, in the middle of a furiously fought election battle, where no inch is conceded, the BJP has again trained its guns on Rahul, though Home Minister Rajnath Singh downplayed the issue, calling it "normal process" undertaken in response to a question raised by an MP.
Later in the day, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra rushed to the aid of her brother, rubbishing the allegations that Rahul isn't of Indian nationality. "Everyone knows Rahul Gandhi is Indian and was born and raised here. What rubbish," she said.
In a letter dated April 29, the MHA had said Rahul declared his nationality as British in an annual return filed by a British company named Backops Ltd. He has now been asked to give a "factual" reply over his citizenship, especially since India does not allow dual nationality and only Indian citizens can contest elections. The notice comes after four rounds of voting for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, in which Rahul is contesting from two constituencies: Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad in Kerala.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also came out with documents he claimed were authentic, and said it's time Rahul declared if he "belongs to London or Lutyen's (Delhi)". "Rahul Gandhi chooses to become a UK citizen by choice, but probably wants to remain Indian by compulsion because he is a Lok Sabha MP and does politics in his family's name. So he is Indian by compulsion and British by choice," Patra said.
"We have registration papers, dissolution and annual returns of Backops Limited. Rahul Gandhi is director, promoter and secretary. In annual returns of the company filed on October 10, 2005, Rahul was a 65 per cent shareholder. He has presented himself as a British national in registration papers, dissolution papers and annual returns," he added.
