Brief Profile of Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi


Born – 19 June 1970
Nationality – Indian
Education – Studied at Modern School in New Delhi, but had to drop out for security reasons. In 1989, took admission at St Stephen’s College New Delhi on Sports Quota that raised a dispute. The Harvard College records him as attending from 1990 to 93. Completed B.A. from Rollins College at Florida in 1994.
Career – Member of Parliament in India representing Amethi Constituency. General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee. Also in charge of Youth Congress and National Students Union of India (NSUI).

Born on 19 June in 1970, Rahul Gandhi happens to be a popular Indian politician and Member of Parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Amethi. He is affiliated to the Indian National Congress (INC) party. Rahul Gandhi hails from the illustrious Nehru-Gandhi family in India that has given the country a slew of worthy Prime Ministers and is the son of Sonia Gandhi (President of INC) and late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991 by Sri Lankan militant outfit, LTTE.

When Rahul Gandhi was just 14 years old, his grandmother Indira Gandhi who was then the Prime Minister of the country was assassinated by her security guards. Jawaharlal Nehru, his great-grandfather was the first Prime Minister of India. Rahul Gandhi’s great-great-grandfather, Motilal Nehru was an eminent leader of the national movement for Indian independence. As far as education is concerned, the elementary and primary schooling of Rahul Gandhi happened at the Modern School in New Delhi, but he had to drop out and take up home-schooling for security reasons.

In 1989, he took admission into the much coveted St Stephen's College of Delhi on the basis of his abilities as a competitive pistol shooter, but this claim was widely disputed. He dropped out of Stephens a year later and instead headed for the United States in 1990. There he enrolled into the Harvard University to study Economics. It is said that Harvard alumni records Rahul Gandhi as attending between 1990 and 1993, but not as a degree student. Finally again, he was shifted (for security reasons) to the Rollins College in Florida to do his B.A. in 1994.

Said to be working with a financial consulting agency in the United States, Rahul Gandhi is said to have left his job in 1999 to assist his sister and mother for preparing for that year’s Lok Sabha elections in India. That Rahul Gandhi was seriously planning to foray into Indian politics spread around as a strong speculation first in 2003 and even the young man did not directly deny this. Soon thereafter, he began to accompany his mother Sonia to various meeting and events of the Indian National Congress party.

When Rahul Gandhi and his equally popular sister, Priyanka visited their father’s former constituency at Amethi that was under their mother’s charge that time, the speculation about Rahul’s entering politics reached a crescendo and the final yes came in March 2004. Rahul Gandhi eventually announced that he was standing for his father's former constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh state in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament in India. At that time, the Congress had been faring inefficiently in Uttar Pradesh and held sway over only 10 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

As such, this announcement about Rahul Gandhi generated surprise because many held that his sister Priyanka was more charismatic and therefore likelier to win. Nevertheless, Rahul’s candidacy was received happily by Amethi locals. Same time, his love life with Columbian girlfriend, Juanita was also said to be blooming. In media interview, he clarified that Veronique was his girlfriend and that she was Spanish and not Columbian. Moving back to politics again, Rahul Gandhi won the election with a tremendous majority and proved successful in securing the family stronghold at Amethi with a margin of more than 100,000.

The Congress party had surprisingly defeated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rahul Gandhi is now the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee. He has also been given the reins of the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India. Rahul Gandhi also attended the Congress Working Committee meeting that was convened at New Delhi on 8 November 2007. Recently, the young leader was in news for dining and spending the night on a modest cot at a Dalit’s hut in Uttar Pradesh state’s Sultanpur district.

However, do not be fooled by that calm and controlled façade usually worn by the young Gandhi when in formal public meetings. Not everyone knows that the gentleman also happens to be an avid sports lover. Rahul Gandhi is known to have undergone shooting training in the Aravalli range near Delhi and also nurtures a deep love for power biking, and paragliding.

Rahul Gandhi Timeline -

1970 – He was born on 19 June in 1970 at New Delhi in India
1989 – Took admission at St Stephen’s College in Delhi on Sports Quota
1990 – Dropped out of St Stephen’s and headed for the United States.
1990 – The Harvard College records shows Rahul Gandhi as attending rather than a degree student
1994 – Completed B.A. from Rollins College, Florida in US
1999 – Left his job at a financial consultancy firm in UK and returned India to help his mother and sister prepare for that year’s Lok Sabha elections.
2003 – There spread widespread talks of Rahul Gandhi joining politics
2004 – In March, Rahul finally announced that he would represent the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh state of India and wins with landslide victory.
2007 – Appointed general secretary of All India Congress Committee. Also made in charge of NSUI and Youth Congress.