Rahul Gandhi Age, Caste, Wife, Girlfriend, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	RaGa
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 7" (170 cm)
Weight (approx.)	70 Kg (154 lbs)
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Dark Brown
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress (INC)
Political Journey	• In 2004, he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. • On 24 September 2007, he was appointed General Secretary of All India Congress Committee. • He was also given charge of National Student Union of India and Indian Youth Congress. • In the 2009 General Elections, he retained his Lok Sabha seat from the Amethi constituency. • In January 2013, he was elevated to the position of the vice-president of Indian National Congress. • He retained his Lok Sabha seat from the Amethi constituency in the 2014 General Elections. • On 11 December 2017, he was elected President of the Indian National Congress. • In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, he registered a massive win from the Waynaad Constituency; however, he lost the Amethi seat to BJP's Smriti Irani • On 3 July 2019, he quit as Congress chief. Mr. Gandhi made the resignation letter public, in which he held himself accountable for the 2019 Lok Sabha loss. • On 24 March 2023, he was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha after a Surat court convicted him in the 2019 'Modi surname' criminal defamation case on 23 March 2023. [1]The Hindu • He won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh by a margin of 3,90,030 votes against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Dinesh Pratap Singh. He also won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala with a margin of 3,64,422 votes against his nearest rival, CPI's Annie Raja. He later vacated the Wayanad seat. • On 25 June 2024, the Congress party announced him as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha.
Biggest Rival	Narendra Modi
Personal Life
Date of Birth	19 June 1970 (Friday)
Age (as of 2024)	54 Years
Birthplace	New Delhi, India
Zodiac sign	Gemini
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	New Delhi, India (Ancestral origin - Lusiana, Italy)
School(s)	• St. Columba's School, Delhi, India • The Doon School, The Mall Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India Note: After the assassination of his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, he was mostly homeschooled. [2]Rahul Gandhi
College/University	• St. Stephen's College, Delhi, India • Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. • Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, U.S. • Trinity College, Cambridge, England
Educational Qualification(s)	• Bachelor of Arts from Rollins College, Florida, United States • M.Phil (Economics) from Trinity College, Cambridge, England • Studied International Relations and Politics at Harvard Note: After the assassination of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, he moved from Harvard to Rollins College, where he completed his study in International Relations and Politics. [3]Rahul Gandhi - YouTube
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Kashmiri Brahmin (Dattatreya) [4]Economic Times
Ethnicity	Indian, Italian
Blood Group	B (-ve)
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian [5]Rahul Gandhi - YouTube Note: In an interview, he talked about his food preferences and said that he never liked jackfruit and peas.
Address	12, Tughlak Lane, New Delhi
Hobbies	Reading, Travelling, Scuba Diving, Free Diving
Controversies	• In December 2010, he was criticized for his comment that Hindu extremism is more dangerous than Islamic militancy. • In February 2014, he was criticized when his college certificate name and date did not match with what he had claimed. • In October 2012, he faced allegation for raping a girl in Uttar Pradesh along with his friends. Later, the charge was, however, dropped by the Supreme Court. [6]BBC • In August 2013, he was criticized for his statement that poverty is only a "state of mind." • In May 2011, Uttar Pradesh Police arrested him for protesting against a highway project along with farmers at Bhatta Parsaul village. • He was also charged for the corruptions in the National Herald Case. • During the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, he had to regret over his comment about Prime Minister Narendra Modi that "even the Supreme Court has accepted that Chowkidar Chor Hai." • National Herald Case: In 2012, Subramanian Swamy brought this case in a trial court. According to Swamy, the Gandhis took over Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publishing house of the National Herald started by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938, to try to acquire more than 20bn rupees in property assets by using Congress party funds. In 2008, the National Herald was shut down; at that time, AJL owed the Congress an accumulated debt of 900m rupees. In 2010, the Gandhis launched a non-profit company named Young India Private Limited and assigned the debt owed by AJL to this company. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi each own 38% of Young India Private Limited as its board of directors, and the remaining 24% is owned by Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, journalist Suman Dubey and entrepreneur Sam Pitroda. In June 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Mr Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to explain allegations of money laundering. [7]BBC • UK comment row: In March 2023, the BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of defaming India while he was speaking with journalists at an event organised by Indian Journalists Association in London. According to the BJP, Rahul Gandhi sought the intervention of foreign countries to save democracy in India. Rahul Gandhi, at the event, said, “The surprising thing is that the so-called defenders of democracy, which are the US, European countries, seem to be oblivious that a huge chunk of democratic model has come undone. The opposition is fighting the battle and it is not an Indian battle alone, actually it is much more of a bigger battle, a battle for a huge part of democratic people.” [8]The Wire • Row over his ‘women being sexually assaulted’ remarks: In March 2023, Delhi police served notice to Rahul Gandhi over his ‘women being sexually assaulted’ remarks during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir. According to Special Commissioner of Police, Sagar Preet Hooda, who led a team of officers to Mr. Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi, information about the “victims” Mr. Gandhi referred to in his remarks was sought from him. Mr. Hooda said, “We met Mr. Gandhi at his residence and spoke to him briefly about his remarks. He said he would provide us with the information once he has compiled it since it was a long yatra and he had met several people. He has assured us to give the information as soon as possible." [9]The Hindu • Modi surname defamation case: On 23 March 2023, the Surat district court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years imprisonment in the criminal defamation case filed against him over his alleged 'Modi surname' remark. In April 2019, in the midst of parliamentary polls, BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi filed the case against Mr. Gandhi, alleging that while addressing a poll rally in Karnataka on 13 April 2019, Mr. Gandhi defamed the entire Modi community by saying “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” Later, the court granted bail to Rahul gandhi. [10]The Times of India Senior Bihar BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi also filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi at the court of Patna’s Chief Judicial Magistrate over Mr. Gandhi’s “Modi surname” remark following which the court summoned Mr Gandhi to appear before it on 12 April 2023 to record his statement. [11]The Hindu On 3 April 2023, Rahul Gandhi filed an appeal against his conviction following which the Surat court, while granting bail to Mr Gandhi, suspended his sentence till the disposal of his appeal. The appeal was accompanied by two applications, the first one was for Suspension of Sentence, which is essentially an application for regular bail, while the second application was for Suspension of Conviction. [12]The Hindu On 20 April 2023, Surat Sessions Court dismissed his plea seeking to stay in his conviction. [13]The Hindu On 2 May 2023, the Gujarat High Court refused to grant an interim stay on his conviction in the case; Mr. Gandhi had sought an interim stay of the conviction till the High Court pronounced the order on his petition. [14]NDTV Later, a defamation case was filed by lawyer Pradip Modi in Ranchi, and on 4 July 2023, the Jharkhand High Court directed that no coercive action should be taken against Rahul Gandhi till the high court decides on a petition filed by the Congress leader seeking exemption from personal appearance. [15]Hindustan Times On 7 July 2023, the Gujarat HC refused to stay his conviction; the court of Justice Hemant Prachchhak delivered the verdict. [16]Hindustan Times On 15 July 2023, Rahul Gandhi moved to the Supreme Court of India to revoke his conviction, and on 4 August 2023, the apex court stayed his conviction in the case, paving the way for his reinstatement as Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad in Kerala. [17]Hindustan Times • Disqualified from Loka Sabha: On 24 March 2023, a day after Rahul Gandhi was convicted in the 'Modi surname' defamation case, he was disqualified from Lok Sabha. A notification from the lower House, signed by Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh, read, "Mr. Gandhi stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction, as per the terms of Article 102 (1)(e) of the Constitution and Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951." [18]The Hindu On 7 August 2023, the Lok Sabha secretariat revoked his disqualification as a Lok Sabha member after the Supreme Court of India stayed his conviction in the 'Modi surname' case on 4 August 2023. [19]Hindustan Times • "Panauti" Remark on PM: Rahul Gandhi found himself clouded in controversy when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India in November 2023. The complaint was related to remarks he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally in Rajasthan, where he referred to Modi as a 'panauti' (jinx or ill omen). Responding to the complaint, the Election Commission issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi on 23 November 2023. [20]The Hindu • Offering Dog Snack: In February 2024, Rahul stirred controversy during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Jharkhand by offering a party worker a biscuit rejected by a puppy. Politician Himanta Biswa Sarma also reacted to the incident and tweeted about leaving Congress as Rahul had offerred him a biscuit from his pet Pidi's plate. [21]Hindustan Times • Defamation case BJP's Karnataka unit filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over the publication of advertisements in newspapers labelling the BJP as corrupt during the 2023 Legislative Assembly polls campaign in Karnataka. On 7 June 2024, a special court in Bengaluru granted him bail. [22]The Hindu • Row over calling Hindus as violent In his first speech as the Leader of the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha, he attracted after the BJP accused him of calling the entire Hindu society violent. The BJP sought apology from Rahul Gandhi for his comments. [23]NDTV • Comments in the United States In September 2024, Rahul visited the United States, where he addressed several political events. In one such event, he said that the Sikhs in India were facing an "existential crisis," a statement which the Kahlistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun backed. He later received criticism from the netizens and the BJP, which protested outside Sonia Gandhi's house over the remarks. He later went on to meet Ilhan Omar, a US politician known for her anti-India stance. Rahul again received a lot of criticism for meeting her. He later gave a speech at the Georgetown University, where he talked about ending the reservation system in India, stating that "India is currently unfair and when it becomes fairer the INC would work on ending the reservation syster." He, however, later apologized and claimed that his statement was misrepresented.
Girls, Affairs, and More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Affairs/Girlfriends	• Veronique Cartelli (a Spanish architect) from Venezuela • Noal Zaher (Afghan Princess)
Family
Wife/Spouse	N/A
Parents	Father- Rajiv Gandhi (Former Indian Prime Minister) Mother- Sonia Gandhi (Former UPA President)
Siblings	Brother- None Sister- Priyanka Gandhi
Relatives	Brother-in-Law- Robert Vadra (Businessman) Uncle- Late Sanjay Gandhi (Politician) Aunty- Maneka Gandhi (Politician) Cousin- Varun Gandhi (Politician)
Family Tree
Favourites
Food	Noodles, Coastal Indian Dishes, Seafood, Chicken Tikka, Seekh Kebab, Mutton, Omelette
Restaurant(s)	Moti Mahal in Delhi, Sagar, Swagat, Sarvana Bhavan [24]Rahul Gandhi - YouTube
Politician(s)	Rajiv Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru
Money Factor
Salary (approx.)	Rs. 1 Lakh + other allowances (As an MP)
Assets/Properties (as of 2024)	Immovable Assets • Agricultural land, owned jointly with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in Delhi’s Mehrauli, along with office space in Gurugram - Rs. 11 crore Movable Assets (Rs. 9.24 crore) • National Savings Schemes, Postal Savings, insurance policies - Rs. 61.52 lakh • Gold bonds - Rs. 15.2 lakh • Stock market investments - Rs. 4.3 crore • Mutual funds deposits - Rs. 3.81 crore • Bank deposits - Rs. 26.25 lakh • Cash - Rs. 55,000
Income	Rs. 1,02,78,680 (during the financial year 2022-23)
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs. 20 Crore (as of 2024)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rahul Gandhi

• Rahul was born as the 1st of the 2 children of Rajiv Gandhi and Italy-born Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi, India.

• He is the grandson of late Indira Gandhi (Former Prime Minister of India) and Feroze Gandhi.
  

  Rahul Gandhi sitting beside his grandmother Indira Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi (little sister Priyanka Gandhi in her lap)

• He is the great-grandson of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

• Because of the Sikh extremism after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Rahul was mostly home-schooled along with his sister.

• After his father’s assassination in 1991, he shifted to Rollins College from Harvard University due to security reasons.
  

  Rahul Gandhi burning the pyre of his father

• He used the name- “Raul Vinci” in his college days in order to keep his Identity secret.
  

  Rahul Gandhi during his college days

• After graduation, Rahul Gandhi worked at a management consulting firm in London, Monitor Group; this was his first job, and his first pay cheque was around £2500 or £3000. ^[25]Rahul Gandhi – YouTube

• He became one of the directors of Backops Services Private Ltd (a Mumbai-based technology outsourcing firm).

• In 2004, he announced to take part in the active politics and contested his first Lok Sabha election from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh and won with a victory margin of over 1 lakh.

• Rahul Gandhi didn’t hold any position in the Indian National Congress until 2006.

• He is often mocked as ‘Pappu’ on social media. Once, former cabinet minister Venkaiah Naidu called him ‘Pappu Ji’ in the Lok Sabha. Since then social media has made many trolls of his name.

• In December 2017, Rahul Gandhi was elected the President of the Indian National Congress. He was elected unopposed as no other candidate filed his nomination.

• When Rahul Gandhi visited Singapore in 2018, his government’s development (in Congress Regimes) was questioned by a journalist.

• On 21 July 2018, during his speech in parliament, he unexpectedly hugged PM Narendra Modi and winked towards party colleagues.

• He holds a black belt in Aikido, a modern Japanese martial art. He used to box in college. ^[26]Rahul Gandhi – YouTube

• Rahul was criticised during a Lok Sabha debate on a no-confidence motion on 9 August 2023 for seemingly blowing a flying kiss towards the treasury benches that were booing him as he left after his speech. Lok Sabha member Smriti Irani described this behaviour as misogynistic, while DCW chief Swati Maliwal questioned Irani’s silence on Brij Bhushan‘s purported sexual misconduct towards Indian Olympic wrestlers through a tweet in response to her statement against Rahul Gandhi.

Absolutely shameful conduct by Rahul Gandhi, who blew a ‘flying kiss’ on his way out of the Parliament, gesturing towards a lady MP…

Absolutely sickening.

This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi has displayed such disgusting behaviour. Earlier he was seen winking and throwing… pic.twitter.com/8YhhZaWmob

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 9, 2023

• In 2024, he won from Raebareli and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Later, it was decided that he would retain Raebareli’s seat and give up Wayanad’s seat. Priyanka Gandhi then contested from Wayanad.

• He is a dog lover and often shares pictures of his pet dogs on social media.
  

  Rahul Gandhi’s Instagram post about his pet dog Yassa

• In September 2024, news began circulating on social media that Rahul might get married to Praniti Shinde, a Member of the Parliament. The news of their romantic involvement had been circulating since they were seen holding hands during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
  

  Rahul and Praniti holding hands during the march