Lok Sabha Ethics Committee serves Rahul Gandhi with a Show Causes Notice, Are you a British Citizen?

March,14,2016:

Rahul Gandhi has been issued Notice by Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on as to why he declared himself a British citizen.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee headed by BJP veteran LK Advani has served notice on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on his alleged dual nationality issue, BJP MP Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Monday.

"The ethics committee has served Rahul Gandhi a notice and will act on the matter only after a reply from the Congress member," Meghwal told reporters here.

"Rahul Gandhi has been issued notice to seek his response on why he declared himself a British citizen. The complaint was received by the Speaker (Sumitra Mahajan) and she has forwarded the complaint to the ethics committee," said Meghwal, a member of the panel.

In response, the Congress said Rahul Gandhi's Indian nationality can never be questioned.

"The matters being examined by a parliamentary panel or any decision on this should be considered confidential. But Mr (Rahul) Gandhi need not prove his credentials as an Indian," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here.

The allegation

BJP leader and former MP Subramanian Swamy first alleged that Gandhi once claimed he was a British citizen while filing the annual return of his dissolved company Backops Limited in London.

Swamy also alleged that Gandhi made the declaration in three tax returns – 2005, 2006 and 2009, and also provided a UK residential address.

The response

The Congress vehemently denied the allegations and said it could have been a “typographical error” by the accountant of the firm who was responsible for filing the returns.

The party accused Swamy of pursuing a personal vendetta against the Gandhi family. The principal Opposition party views the complaint as another effort to attack the Congress leadership.

The party also pointed out that in other documents of the company and other annual returns, Gandhi is shown as an Indian.

Gandhi held 65% share in Backops Limited. He was also the director and company secretary.

The issue came up before the Parliament’s ethics committee as BJP’s East Delhi MP Mahesh Giri wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in January, complaining against Gandhi’s ‘British citizenship’. Mahajan referred the matter to the Ethics panel, headed by BJP patriarch LK Advani.

Surjewala said the government was trying to malign the image of the Congress and counselled that the government should instead focus on bringing back to the country the likes of liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, however, said the Congress needs to clarify on the matter.

The 15-member committee headed by Advani includes Arjun Meghwal, Kariya Munda (both BJP), B Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal), Ninong Ering (Congress) and Akshay Yadav (Samajwadi Party). PTI

Subramainan Swamy Writes Letter to PM Modi on Rahul Gandhi's Nationality