BJP tears into Rahul Gandhi over discrepancies in poll affidavit

New Delhi [India], Apr 20 (ANI): The BJP on Saturday asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to clarify on his citizenship and the information stated in his election affidavit after an Independent candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency filed a complaint alleging discrepancies.
 “Rahul Gandhi's name has been shown to be listed as a British citizen in documents related to a company in the UK. Was Rahul Gandhi a British citizen? In his election affidavit of 2004, he said that he had invested in a company,” BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told reporters here in a press conference.
"It is a company registered in the UK. It is a company you (Rahul) served as a director and official document submitted by the company to the British authorities in the form of a memorandum of association and annual returns in 2005. The document submitted clearly shows that you were a citizen of United Kingdom," Rao said adding, “In this company’s memorandum of association, Rahul Gandhi’s nationality was said as a British citizen. The question is did Rahul Gandhi become British citizen then? If yes, it violated Indian laws.”
Speaking further in the same context, Rao said: “The document submitted clearly shows that he was a citizen of United Kingdom. And, if he were a citizen there at that period then you would have automatically lost Indian Citizenship. Because the Indian Citizenship Act 1955 clearly states that if any Indian acquires the citizenship of any other country then automatically forfeits his citizenship of India.”
The BJP spokesperson also raised questions on discrepancies in the educational qualifications of the Congress president.
“From 2004 to 2019, in all election affidavits, there are discrepancies to suppress facts. In 2004, he mentioned only qualification of senior secondary of 1989 and an MPhil degree which he got from Trinity University,” Rao said.  
“In 2009, he introduced another qualification which is BA from Rolling College Florida in 1994 and MPhil in Development Economics from Trinity College in 1995. In 2014, this Development Economics becomes MPhil in Development Studies. Either he does not remember what he studied or he does not have a paper to show what qualification he had acquired,” he said.
Rao alleged that there is no one by the name of Rahul Gandhi who had acquired MPhil degree from Trinity College.
“There is no one who has acquired MPhil in Development Studies from Trinity College, Cambridge University. This has been established through enquiries. Only one person acquired this degree and that individual’s name is Rahul Vinci,” he emphasised.  
The BJP spokesperson also raised suspicion on Gandhi’s income declaration in the election affidavit.
“In 2004, he was a director and secretary of the company. And what happened to that particular income. In 2009 and 2014, the particular reference of that company is not there. Has he sold his interests in the company? How much money has he generated? How he got properties from Unitech in Gurgaon without paying anything?” Rao added.
Earlier in the day, Amethi Returning Officer Ram Manohar Mishra ordered the postponement of scrutiny of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s nomination papers to April 22. Amethi Lok Sabha seat, a traditional bastion of the Gandhi family, will go to polls on May 6. (ANI)