Rahul Gandhi

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Rahul Gandhi
Member of Lok Sabha from Amethi
Incumbent
Assumed office
2004
General Secretary of the Indian National Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office
2007
Chairperson of IYC and NSUI
Incumbent
Assumed office
2007
Personal details
Born 19 June 1970 (1970-06-19) (age 41)
New Delhi, India
Nationality Indian
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse(s) None
Relations Rajiv Gandhi (father)
Sonia Gandhi (mother)
Residence New Delhi, India
Alma mater Rollins College
Trinity College, Cambridge
As of 5 June, 2011

Rahul Gandhi (Hindi: राहुल गांधी [ˈraːɦʊl ˈɡaːnd̪ʱiː]; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and member of the Parliament of India, representing the Amethi constituency.[1] His political party is the Indian National Congress and a part of Nehru–Gandhi family.[2]

Contents

Early life and career

Rahul Gandhi was born in Delhi on 19 June 1970 [3] as the first of the two children of Rajiv Gandhi, who later became the Prime Minister of India and Sonia Gandhi, who later became President of Indian National Congress, and as the grandson of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He is also the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Priyanka Vadra is his younger sister.[4]

Rahul Gandhi attended St. Columba's School, Delhi[5] before entering The Doon School in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), also his father's alma mater,[6] from 1981–83. Meanwhile, his father had joined politics and became the Prime Minister on October 31, 1984 when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Due to the security threats faced by Indira Gandhi's family from Sikh extremists, Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka were home-schooled since then.[7] Rahul Gandhi joined St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 1989 for his undergraduate education but moved to Harvard University after he completed the first year examinations.[8] In 1991, after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE[9] during an election rally, he shifted to Rollins College due to security concerns and completed his B.A. in 1994.[10] During this period, he assumed the pseudonym Raul Vinci and his identity was known only to the university officials and security agencies.[8][11] He further went on to obtain a M.Phil from Trinity College, Cambridge University in 1995.[12] After graduation, Rahul Gandhi worked at the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm, in London.[13] In 2002 he was one of the directors of Mumbai-based technology outsourcing firm Backops Services Private Ltd.[14]

In 2004, Rahul Gandhi told the press that he has a girlfriend Veronique Cartelli, a Spanish architect who lives in Venezuela.[15][16] However, there has been little reporting of his personal life by the media since 2004.[17]

Political career

In 2003, there was widespread media speculation on the issue of Rahul Gandhi's imminent entry into active politics, which he did not confirm.[18] Sonia Gandhi, his mother, had joined politics in 1997 after staying away for years despite the demands by Congress party and had become the president of Indian National Congress.[19] In 1999 General Elections, he appeared with his mother at public events and Congress meetings.[18] He also traveled to Pakistan on a goodwill visit to watch the first cricket series between the countries in 14 years in a One Day International with his sister Priyanka Gandhi.[20]

In March 2004, he announced his entry into politics by announcing that he would contest the May 2004 elections, standing for his father's former constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament.[21] The seat had been held by his mother until she transferred to the neighbouring seat of Rae Bareilly. The Congress had been doing poorly in Uttar Pradesh, holding only 10 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state at the time.[22] At the time, this move generated surprise among political commentators, who had regarded his sister Priyanka as being the more charismatic and likely to succeed. It generated speculation that the presence of a young member of India's most famous political family would reinvigorate the Congress party's political fortunes among India's youthful population[23] In his first interview with foreign media, he portrayed himself as a uniter of the country and condemned "divisive" politics in India, saying that he would fight caste and religious divisions caused by right wing [Saffron terror| Saffron terrorists].[21]

He won with a landslide majority, retaining the family stronghold with a margin of over 100,000 as the Congress unexpectedly defeated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.[24] Until 2006 he held no other office.[25]

Gandhi and his sister, who is married to Robert Vadra, managed their mother's campaign for re-election to Rae Bareilly in 2006, which was won easily with a margin greater than 400,000 votes.[26]

He was a prominent figure in the Congress campaign for the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections; Congress, however, won only 22 seats with 8.53% of votes. The election saw the Bahujan Samaj Party, to become the first party to govern in its own right in Uttar Pradesh in 16 years.[27]

Rahul Gandhi was appointed a general secretary of the All India Congress Committee on 24 September 2007 in a reshuffle of the party secretariat.[28] In the same reshuffle, he was also given charge of the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India.[29]

In 2008, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily mentioned “Rahul-as-PM” idea when the PM of India Manmohan Singh was still abroad.[30]

Youth politics

In his attempt to prove himself as a youth leader in November 2008 he held interviews at his 12, Tughlak Lane residence in New Delhi to handpick at least 40 people who will make up the think-tank of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), an organisation that he has been keen to transform since he was appointed general secretary in September 2007.[31]

Under Rahul Gandhi, IYC and NSUI has seen a dramatic increase in members from a two lakhs to twenty five lakhs.[32]

In various reports it has been proved that Rahul Gandhi has failed in his promise to eliminate family, patronage, money from Youth Congress. It has been seen that an aspiring delegates need to pay a substantial sum as nomination fee. Hence, an aspiring office-bearer with deep pockets sponsors them thereby allowing money power to have a role in the elections.[33][34][35]

2009 elections

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he retained his Amethi constituency by defeating his nearest rival by a margin of over 333,000 votes. In these elections congress is said to have revived itself in Uttar Pradesh by winning 21 out of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats and the majority of the credit for this turnaround is given to Rahul Gandhi.[36] He spoke at 125 rallies across the country in six weeks.

Lokpal bill

This statement was considered as a delaying tactic by the opposition and Team Anna's members. It was consequently slammed by prominent opposition leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.[37] The Parliamentary Standing Committee led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi tabled the Lok Bill report in the Rajya Sabha on 9 December 2011.

Land Acquisition Protests Arrest

On 11 May 2011 Rahul Gandhi was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police at Bhatta Parsaul village after he turned out in support of agitating farmers demanding more compensation for their land being acquired for a highway project.[38] He was released after being held for about three hours and later returned to New Delhi. He was to be presented before a Sub-Divisional Magistrate on 12 May 2011.[39]

Political and legal issues

Comparison of RSS and SIMI

Rahul Gandhi has been critical of nationalist groups like the RSS and compared them to terrorist organizations like SIMI.[40][41] According to a cable leaked by Wikileaks, in 2009, he allegedly shared concerns with the American ambassador to India Timothy Roemer "the bigger threat (to India) may be the growth of radicalized Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community,". In an addendum while citing the young Indian leader, Roemer commented that he (Rahul Gandhi) "was referring to the tensions created by some of the more polarizing figures in the BJP such as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi."[42][43] His comments on radical Hindu groups were criticized by the opposition party, as well as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[44]

Sukanya Devi

It has been alleged that Rahul Gandhi had detained a girl and her parents since 2007 after the family accused the Gandhi scion of raping the girl. On 01st Mar 2011, the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi,[45] however allegations were found to be false. Allahbad high court not only dismissed the case after the girl in question appeared in the court, but slapped a 50 lakh penalty against the petitioner, Kishore Samrite, ordering a CBI inquiry against her and websites publishing the story.[46]The CBI had lodged a case under Indian Penal Code Sections -- 120b (criminal conspiracy), 181 (false statement on oath), 211 (false charges to cause injury) and 499-500 (defamation).[47] Kishore Samrite is a former Samajwadi Party MLA from Lanji. Earlier, Samrite was in the limelight when he sacrificed goats and buffaloes in Assam’s Kamakhya temple.[48]

13th Jul 2011 Terror Attack remarks

Gandhi stoked controversy when he said in Bhubaneswar that it is "very difficult" to stop every single terror attack but asserted that 99 per cent of the strikes in the country have been stopped due to vigilance and intelligence efforts.[49]

See also

References

  1. ^ Vidya Subrahmaniam (18 April 2004). "Gandhi detergent washes away caste". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/623458.cms. Retrieved 2007-02-09. 
  2. ^ Sudip Mazumdar (25 December 2006). "Charisma Is Not Enough". Newsweek International. Archived from the original on 2007-01-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070127214227/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16241337/site/newsweek/. Retrieved 2007-02-09. 
  3. ^ Detailed Profile – Shri Rahul Gandhi – Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha) – Who's Who – Government: National Portal of India. India.gov.in. Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
  4. ^ M.V.Kamath. "Does Congress want to perpetuate Nehru-Gandhi dynasty?". Samachar. Archived from the original on 2006-10-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20061028203930/http://samachar.com/features/290905-features.html. Retrieved 2007-02-09. 
  5. ^ George Iype (23 March 2004). "Rahul Gandhi:Biography". oneindia.in. http://living.oneindia.in/celebrity/other-celebrities/2008/rahul-gandhi-biography.html. Retrieved 2007-02-09. 
  6. ^ [searchindia.com/search/indian-politicians-rajiv-gandhi.html "Indian Politician – Profile of Rajiv Gandhi"]. searchindia.com/search/indian-politicians-rajiv-gandhi.html. Retrieved 2007-02-09. 
  7. ^ Sanjay Hazarika (16 July 1989). "Foes of Gandhi make targets of his children". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEEDE1130F935A25754C0A96F948260&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
  8. ^ a b Rahul completed education in US under a false name – India – DNA. Dnaindia.com (2009-04-30). Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
  9. ^ "The accused, the charges, the verdict". Frontline. 7 February 2010. http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1503/15030150.htm. 
  10. ^ "Newsweek apologises to Rahul Gandhi". The Indian Express. 27 January 2007. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/newsweek-apologises-to-rahul-gandhi/21088/1. 
  11. ^ A Question Of TheHeir & Now. www.outlookindia.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
  12. ^ "Cambridge varsity confirms Rahul’s qualifications". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 29 April 2009. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/article319541.ece. Retrieved 24 August 2011. 
  13. ^ "The Great White Hope: The Son Also Rises". Rediff.com. 13 April 2004. http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/apr/13rajeev.htm. 
  14. ^ Want to be CEO of Rahul Gandhi's firm? rediff.com "his start-up BPO venture, Backops Services Private Ltd ... call centre-like operation providing engineering detail and structural planning services ... based in Mumbai, was incorporated in Delhi on May 28, 2002 ... Gandhi and family friend Manoj Muttu as the two directors"
  15. ^ "My girlfriend is Spanish: Rahul Gandhi". The Indian Express. Apr 28, 2004. http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=30839. 
  16. ^ "I have a girlfriend in Venezuela: Rahul". The Island. July 30, 2004. http://www.island.lk/2004/07/31/news07.html. 
  17. ^ "ow will Rahul Gandhi choose his bride?". CNN Go. 29 April 2011. http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/life/will-rahul-gandhi-choose-his-own-bride-too-856219. Retrieved 30 November 2011. 
  18. ^ a b "Rahul Gandhi coming into his own?". The Times of India. 18 Jan 2003. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/34775615.cms. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
  19. ^ The last straw. Hindu.com (1995-08-20). Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
  20. ^ "Musharraf mother meets Indian PM". BBC News. 21 March 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4368099.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  21. ^ a b "Rahul attacks 'divisive' politics". BBC News. 12 April 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3619123.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  22. ^ Majumder, Sanjoy (22 March 2004). "Gandhi fever in Indian heartlands". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3557045.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  23. ^ Biswas, Soutik (23 March 2004). "The riddle of Rahul Gandhi". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3560771.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  24. ^ "India elections: Good day – bad day". BBC News. 2 June 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3711881.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  25. ^ The Tribune, Chandigarh, 21 August 2004; The Telegraph India, 20 May 2006; BBC News, 26 May 2004.
  26. ^ Majumder, Sanjoy (11 May 2006). "India's communists upbeat over future". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4761871.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  27. ^ "Uttar Pradesh low caste landslide". BBC News. 11 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6643953.stm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  28. ^ "Rahul Gandhi gets Congress post". BBC News. 24 zzz19zzz 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7010099.stm. Retrieved 2007-09-24. 
  29. ^ "Rahul Gandhi gets Youth Congress Charge". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 25 zzz19zzz 2007. http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/25/stories/2007092550240100.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-25. 
  30. ^ In the family way. Indian Express (2008-10-03). Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
  31. ^ "Rahul Gandhi's talent hunt". The Economic Times. 7 November 2008. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Rahul_Gandhis_secret_talent_hunt/articleshow/3684740.cms. Retrieved 2008-11-07. [dead link]
  32. ^ "Rahul Gandhi’s Youth Congress gets overwhelming response". DNA India. 24 May 2010. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_rahul-gandhi-s-youth-congress-gets-overwhelming-response_1386926. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
  33. ^ "Family Still Comes First: Rahul Gandhi fails to eliminate family, patronage, money from Youth Congress". India Today. 11 July 2011. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/rahul-gandhi-fails-his-promise-to-rid-youth-congress-of-family-patronage-money/1/143357.html. Retrieved 2011-12-08. 
  34. ^ "J&K: Senior leaders’ kin grab plum posts in YC". Indian Express. 4 August 2011. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/j&k-senior-leaders-kin-grab-plum-posts-in/827021/. Retrieved 2011-12-08. 
  35. ^ "Youth Congress loses battle to shed family, patronage, money". Indian Express. August 2011. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/youth-congress-loses-battle-to-shed-family/740782/. Retrieved 2011-12-08. 
  36. ^ "Sonia secures biggest margin, Rahul follows". The Times of India (Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.). 18 May 2009. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/Sonia-secures-biggest-margin-Rahul-follows/articleshow/4544401.cms. Retrieved 2009-05-18. 
  37. ^ Sulekha news (27 August 2011). "Sushma tears into Rahul's address on Lokpal "]. http://newshopper.sulekha.com/sushma-tears-into-rahul-s-address-on-lokpal_news_1339499.htm. Retrieved 10 December 2011. 
  38. ^ "Rahul Gandhi arrested in Uttar Pradesh". Yahoo News (Yahoo News). 12 May 2011. http://in.news.yahoo.com/rahul-gandhi-arrested-uttar-pradesh-released-210738122.html. Retrieved 2011-05-12. 
  39. ^ "Rahul Gandhi arrested by UP police". LiveMint (LiveMint.com). 12 May 2011. http://www.livemint.com/2011/05/12001359/Rahul-Gandhi-arrested-by-UP-po.html. Retrieved 2011-05-12. 
  40. ^ RSS is 'fanatical' like banned outfit SIMI : Rahul. The Economic Times. 6 October 2010
  41. ^ RSS as fanatical as SIMI: Rahul. Hindustan Times (2010-10-06). Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
  42. ^ Radical Hindu units bigger threat than LeT: Rahul Gandhi economictimes.com, ET Bureau, Dec 18, 2010.
  43. ^ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-17/india/28265611_1_tensions-and-political-confrontations-group-among-certain-elements-bigger-threat
  44. ^ "Radical Hindu groups bigger threat than LeT, says Rahul". India Today. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/rahul-gandhi-in-wikileaks-terror-row/1/123754.html. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
  45. ^ "HC issues notice to Rahul Gandhi for girl's illegal detention". The Economic Times. 1 March 2011. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-01/news/28645634_1_hc-issues-notice-illegal-detention-rahul-gandhi. 
  46. ^ "50-lakh penalty slapped on petitioner out to defame Rahul". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 8 March 2011. http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/08/stories/2011030860550300.htm. 
  47. ^ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-26/india/29931360_1_kishore-samrite-hc-order-petition
  48. ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cbi-raids-mla-who-filed-complaint-against-ra/763500/
  49. ^ "Rahul Gandhi on Terror Attacks". Outlook India. 14 July 2011. http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?727739. 

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Lok Sabha
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Sonia Gandhi		 Member for Amethi
2004 – present		 Incumbent
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