BJP revives familiar smear of Rahul's 'dual citizenship' as court orders FIR

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday described as "surprising and unwarranted" an Allahabad High Court direction to file an FIR against Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over allegations of dual British citizenship — a charge that has surfaced periodically in political discourse despite having been repeatedly examined and dismissed.

The order has revived a familiar line of attack deployed by the BJP at intervals against the Congress leader, much like the long-discredited 'bar dancer' jibe used against Sonia Gandhi. Critics have pointed out that the reappearance of such claims at politically opportune moments underscores their utility more as rhetorical weapons than as serious legal questions.

“The Allahabad High Court ordering an FIR to probe baseless allegations of British citizenship against Rahul Gandhi is surprising and amounts to placing an unnecessary burden on the executive,” Gehlot said.

Noting that similar petitions had earlier failed to pass judicial scrutiny, Gehlot pointed out that the Allahabad High Court had dismissed related pleas in July 2025, while the issue had also been rejected by the Supreme Court in 2019.

Despite that record, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday directed the registration of an FIR on a petition filed by a BJP worker alleging that Gandhi is a UK citizen and had incorporated a company, Backops Ltd, in 2003.

The petitioner, S. Vignesh Shishir, claimed that Gandhi had declared British nationality in company documents and cited the existence of a Director Identification Number along with addresses in London and Hampshire.

Legal observers note that questions of citizenship are straightforward for the Union home ministry to verify through official channels and international cooperation mechanisms, making the periodic revival of the allegation particularly puzzling. The ease with which the Centre could conclusively establish the facts has led critics to question why the issue resurfaces episodically without any definitive closure from the government itself.

The complaint was initially filed before a special MP/MLA court in Rae Bareli before being transferred last December to a similar court in Lucknow at the petitioner’s request. The Lucknow court dismissed the plea on 28 January, prompting the petitioner to again approach the high court.

Gehlot emphasised the Gandhi family’s long association with India’s political and freedom struggle history, noting that former prime ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi lost their lives while in public service, while Jawaharlal Nehru spent nearly a decade in British jails during the independence movement.

He added that Rahul Gandhi himself undertook a nationwide march aimed at countering social tensions and promoting harmony, describing the renewed allegations as unfortunate and politically motivated.