Has the real Rahul Gandhi finally spoken up? Subramanian Swamy, the dreaded nemesis of discrepancies, is hot on his trail, thanks to what Congress spokespersons and apologists are brushing aside as a trivial error in filing tax returns in the UK. The tax papers of a UK-based engineering design outsourcing company, which the Congress vice president launched over a decade ago and served as director of, apparently reported his nationality as British, though its document of incorporation had stated him to be Indian. That error may be “correctable”, as the Congress insists, but the argument does not diminish its magnitude. Misreporting the nationality of a company director is rather more serious than the venial sin of, say, hyperbole in a corporate social responsibility narrative.
Besides, the standing and prospects of Rahul Gandhi cannot be ignored. He is not any old NRI from the South Asian neighbourhoods of London who tried to cash in on the outsourcing boom of the last decade. When the offending tax returns were filed, he was a member of Parliament in India. His partymen were clamouring for him to take over the reins and, ignoring his diffidence, even projected him as a future prime minister. Why a person who may reasonably expect to lead India would wish to run a small BPO firm on the side is an intriguing question, but everyone has the right to experiment. Besides, it beats playing Monopoly all your life.
