In a politically sensitive decision, the Union Home Ministry on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to explain within 14 days about his self-declared British Citizenship between 2004 and 2009. The Home Ministry’s action came on the complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in September 2017.
The MHA notice has led to exchange of barbs between the BJP and the Congress. While the BJP asked Rahul to demystify his citizenship status, the Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was a “failed” PM who is desperate to “manufacture one false allegation everyday”.
In Amethi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came to the defence of her brother and said the MHA notice was a “rubbish”. “It seems that it is out of fear that they might be losing,” she said, attacking the ruling party.
The Home Ministry’s notice dated April 29, 2019, issued by Director (Citizenship), said, “I am directed to say that this Ministry has received a representation from Subramanian Swamy, MP, in which it has been brought out that a company named Backops Limited was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003, with address 51 Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9EH and that you were one of the Directors and Secretary of the said company.
It has been further brought out in the complaint that in the Company’s Annual Returns filed on 10/10/2005 and 31/10/2016, your date of birth has been given as 19/06/1970 and that you had declared your nationality as British.”)
Hours after the MHA’s notice, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the timing of the communication is not relevant, even though it came in the middle of general elections. “It is not a big development. It is a normal process,” he said.
“If any Member of Parliament raises a question in Parliament, it becomes necessary to respond to it.
If any MP writes a letter to any Ministry, then necessary proceedings are undertaken by the Ministry. It is not a big development, it is a normal process,” Singh said.
In November 2015, Swamy filed a complaint to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that Rahul had declared himself as a British citizen to UK company registration authorities when he was Director of a private limited company in London.
The Speaker forwarded the matter to Ethics Committee headed by BJP veteran leader LK Advani. The Committee issued notice to Rahul and he replied that “no one can doubt his citizenship.” However Rahul did not replied on his self-declared citizenship in the UK Company Register. After this the Ethics Committee did not proceed further and Swamy approached Home Ministry directly in September 2017.
Meanwhile, describing Congress president as a “man of mysteries”, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra questioned him asking which is real - “Rahul Gandhi London wale or Lutyens wale”.
Attacking the Congress president, the BJP spokesperson said the entire Rahul citizenship saga is a story of three Cs - citizenship, confusion and clarification.
Addressing a Press conference at the party office, Patra said there are questions about Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship and asserted that “if you create a confusion you have to clarify.”
He said these questions are based on authentic documents.
“Rahul is synonym of confusion and he has become a man of mysteries. We would like to ask him which one is real - Rahul Gandhi London wale or Rahul Gandhi lutyens wale,” Patra said.
He said there are verified documents carrying his signature as British National. Patra said the company he has worked with in London confirms him as British National.
Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala claimed that Modi has no answer on unemployment, agrarian distress and black money, and hence he is resorting to “fake narrative” through his Government’s notices to divert attention.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost the plot. After four phases of elections, it is clear that Modiji and the BJP are hurtling towards an imminent defeat at a breakneck speed. Consequently, they seek to manufacture one malicious and fallacious agenda everyday,” Surjewala said at a Press conference.
Surjewala said these are “rehashed allegations” from the year 2014-15 that were rejected back then. The entire set of allegations are based on alleged citizenship title given in a certificate of incorporation of a company called the Backops limited of which Rahul Gandhi was once a Director, he said.
Surjewala, displaying some document, said the fourth page therein shows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. “Rahul Gandhi is an Indian by birth. Everybody knows about the sacrifices his family has made for the country -- three generations thereof,” he said.