LUCKNOW: Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday accused Congress president Rahul Gandhi of fooling the country with his "fake name" and said he is known as 'Raul Vinci' in Britain and Italy.
The accusation follows a complaint filed by Independent candidate Dhruv Lal in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, from where Gandhi is fighting his fourth election, about alleged discrepancies in the Congress leader's election affidavit, including about non-disclosure of a company registered in the UK in the name of 'Raul Vinci'.
The Congress party's Amethi unit chief Yogendra Misra had said the objections will be countered legally on Monday. No central leader or spokesperson has reacted to the allegations.
Addressing a poll meeting in Ghatampur of Kanpur Dehat, Adityanath said, "The 'naamdar' of Congress you know as Rahul Gandhi. In reality, he is not Rahul Gandhi. The country has been fooled with this name. His name is Raul Vinci. I am astonished that the Congress is committing this sin of fooling the nation. The real names of Rahul and Priyanka should come before people.In Britain and Italy he is Raul Vinci and in India becomes Rahul Gandhi with fake name," he alleged.
Amethi Returning Officer Ram Manohar Mishra had ordered the postponement of scrutiny of Gandhi's nomination papers to April 22 after Lal filed the complaint. One of the issues Lal had raised in the complaint was on the "basis of a certificate of incorporation of a company registered in the UK wherein he (Gandhi) has declared himself a UK citizen Raul Vinci".
Seizing on the opportunity to attack Gandhi, the BJP also alleged on Saturday that the Congress chief had said that he did M Phil in development economics from Cambridge University, but inquiries show that one 'Raul Vinci' and not Rahul Gandhi got the degree that particular year. "We will like to know if Rahul Gandhi goes by multiple names in different countries," BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao had said.