Lok Sabha panel serves notice on Rahul Gandhi on nationality

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee headed by BJP veteran L.K. Advani has served notice on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on his alleged dual nationality issue, BJP MP Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Monday.

"The ethics committee has served Rahul Gandhi a notice and will act on the matter only after a reply from the Congress member," Meghwal told reporters here.

"Rahul Gandhi has been issued notice to seek his response on why he declared himself a British citizen. The complaint was received by the speaker (Sumitra Mahajan) and she has forwarded the complaint to the ethics committee," said Meghwal, a member of the panel.

In response, the Congress said Rahul Gandhi's Indian nationality can never be questioned.

"The matters being examined by a parliamentary panel or any decision on this should be considered confidential. But Mr (Rahul) Gandhi need not prove his credentials as an Indian," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here.

Surjewala said the government was trying to malign the image of the Congress and counselled that the government should instead focus on bringing back to the country the likes of liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, however, said the Congress needs to clarify on the matter.

The 15-member committee headed by Advani includes Arjun Meghwal, Kariya Munda (both BJP), B. Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal), Ninong Ering (Congress) and Akshay Yadav (Samajwadi Party).