 "Rajnath Singh says home ministry obligated to respond to MPs' queries after MHA notice to Rahul Gandhi over citizenship row")
Rejecting allegations of political vendetta against Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship row, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the home ministry is duty-bound to respond to questions raised by any member of Parliament. “If any Member of Parliament asks answer from a ministry, then the ministry has to answer it. This has happened following the same course,” Singh told CNN-News18. Earlier in the day, acting on a complaint received from Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to clarify his position on his nationality. Swamy had cited a United Kingdom-based company’s documents to allege that the Congress president is a British national. The MHA has sought “factual position in the matter” from Rahul within a fortnight.
Ministry of Home Affairs issues notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy; MHA asks Rahul Gandhi to respond in the matter within a 'fortnight'. pic.twitter.com/rkFu6TJ7lu
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019
The letter, dated 29 April, read that Swamy has alleged Rahul to be one of the directors and secretary of a firm named Backops Limited which was registered in the United Kingdom in 2003. It mentions how Swamy has claimed that Rahul had declared his nationality as “British” in the company’s annual returns filed in 2005 and 2006. [caption id=“attachment_6439551” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Rahul Gandhi. PTI[/caption] The complaint also added that in the application for dissolution of the company, dated 12 February 2009, Rahul’s nationality was again declared to be British. An MHA official, quoted by The Hindu, said the complaint dates back to 2015. This isn’t the first time that objections have been raised over Rahul’s citizenship. On 20 April, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao had raised similar objections to the Congress chief’s nationality at a press conference in New Delhi. Independent candidate from Amethi, Dhruv Lal, had raised similar objections against Rahul and protested against the latter’s nomination from the constituency. Ravi Prakash, Lal’s lawyer, had then said that on the basis of certificate of incorporation of a company registered in the UK, the Congress leader has declared himself as its citizen. He had added that a non-Indian citizen cannot contest polls in the country.
Ravi Prakash, lawyer of independent MP candidate from Amethi, Dhruv Lal who has raised objections on Rahul Gandhi's nomination papers: On basis of certificate of incorporation of a company registered in UK, he declared himself a UK citizen. A non-citizen can't contest polls here. pic.twitter.com/A8ifZgbGhC
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) April 20, 2019
In the meanwhile, Congress leaders have criticised the MHA’s notice with party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was resorting to fake narrative through “his government’s notices”.
Randeep Surjewala,Congress: The entire world knows Rahul Gandhi is Indian citizen by birth. Modi ji has no answer for unemployment, Modi ji has no answer for agrarian distress&black money, that's why he's resorting to fake narrative through his govt's notices to divert attention. pic.twitter.com/pfNM1ZMsRQ
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019
All India Mahila Congress General Secretary Apsara Reddy also claimed the Supreme Court had dismissed Swamy’s petition on Rahul’s citizenship in 2015 and blamed the ruling party of trying to “pollute the electoral air”.
The SC dismissed @Swamy39 petition in 2015. Why would the ill informed govt send a notice now on @RahulGandhi Ji’s citizenship? Trying to pollute the electoral air with their (BJPs) devious lies and gimmicks yet again!
— Apsara R (@talktoapsara) April 30, 2019
The MHA’s notice came even as the Congress chief has been vigorously campaigning across states before voting for the Lok Sabha Election comes to an end. With inputs from agencies
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