Rahul Gandhi turns 53: What the Congress leader was doing before joining politics

For his graduation, Rahul went to St Stephen’s College, New Delhi. A report in The New York Times from July 1989 says that after he secured admission, Opposition parties staged protests. “The problem was not that Rahul, who is 18 years old, was unqualified. Criticism centered on the disclosure that Rahul had gained admission on the basis of his excellence as a shooter in clay and trap events, but such admissions for athletes are allowed in India,” the report said.

The same report quotes an unnamed university professor as saying, “You feel sorry for them. They’re always under the shadow of violence. They can never lead normal lives. They have a right to go to college, to breathe fresh air. You can’t keep them cooped up in sterile security surroundings all the time.”

Rahul soon moved to Harvard University in the United States. However, he could not graduate from here either, as his father, Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated in 1991. With security concerns heightened again, Rahul Gandhi moved to Rollins College in Florida, from where he finished his graduation in 1994. On the Rollins College website, in the Center for India & South Asia, “ The Honorable Rahul Gandhi” is listed under “Select Alumni Associates”.

Rahul then went to Cambridge University, from where he finished his MPhil.

In 2009, amid a controversy about his degrees, the University of Cambridge said the Congress leader was a student of Trinity College and was awarded an MPhil in Development Studies in 1995.

Then Vice-Chancellor Prof Alison Richard said that Rahul’s conduct during his time at the university was “exemplary and he remained in good standing throughout”.

After college

According to Rahul Gandhi’s website, “Rahul began his professional career with the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm based out of London — he was adamant on creating a professional career before joining politics. He soon returned to India and set up his own technology consultancy in Mumbai, where he led his team as the Director.”

The firm, set up in 2002, was called Backops Services Private Ltd. He also set up another firm called BackOps UK. Records of this company later led to a controversy, over claims that Rahul Gandhi was listed as a British citizen. The matter went to Supreme Court, with a plea seeking to debar him from contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, the SC dismissed the plea.

“Some company in some form mentioned Rahul Gandhi is British citizen, so he becomes British citizen?” then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said. “Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and perused the relevant material. We are not inclined to entertain the writ petition. The same is, accordingly, dismissed,” the Bench held.

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In 2004, Rahul Gandhi announced he would join politics, and won his first election from Amethi.