UK govt department says documents showing Rahul Gandhi as British national could be an input error

The UK’s government department, Companies House, revealed that returns of Backops, a private firm set up by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, in 2005and 2006 showed Gandhi of British nationality.

However, the UK Companies House said this could very well be an error as the annual return documents were filed electronically and could have been an input mistake.

The statement by the UK department came after senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy alleged that the fourth generation scion of Nehru-Gandhi family had declared himself a British citizen in the registration papers of Backops Limited, which was dissolved in 2009.

Companies House is an executive agency that also incorporates and dissolves limited companies.

"We carry out basic checks to make sure that documents have been fully completed and signed, but we do not have the statutory power or capability to verify the accuracy of the information that companies send to us. We accept all information that companies deliver to us in good faith and place it on the public record. The fact that the information has been placed on the public record should not be taken to indicate that Companies House has verified or validated it in any way," the representative of the department told ET.

Swamy demanded that Gandhi should be stripped off his Indian citizenship. The Congress has denied such allegations, saying Gandhi had never held citizenship of any country other than India and "nor has he represented as such".

READ ALSO: Subramanian Swamy demands PM to strip Rahul Gandhi of Indian citizenship

Swamy showed documents that had Gandhi registered as a British citizen.

Meanwhile, the Congress released the company's documents of incorporation, dated August 2003, in which Rahul Gandhi is shown as an Indian national.

(Image: Indiatimes)