Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is celebrating his 53rd birthday today (June 19) A number of wishes poured in for him as several party leaders and the general public wished him on social media platforms
Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted, “Warm birthday greetings to Shri Rahul Gandhi. Your unflinching commitment to Constitutional values and your indomitable courage in the face of adversity is admirable. May you continue speaking truth to power and be the voice of millions of Indians, while spreading the message of compassion and harmony.”
On his birthday, let’s recall the incident when Rahul Gandhi had to briefly change his name to Rahul Vinci. In 1994-95, he had to change his name while he was studying at Trinity College, Cambridge. As per a report published by The Telegraph, following the assassination of his father Rajiv Gandhi, those close to him suggested a change in his name for security reasons
The news report quoted Cambridge University sources to point out that the "Red Book", which lists Cambridge University members, lists him as: "VINCI, Rahul T MPHIL95".
The "T" here stands for his college, Trinity, where his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru and father Rajiv Gandhi, were undergraduates, the report added
Rahul Gandhi’s grandfather, India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, and his father Rajiv Gandhi, India’s ex-Prime Minister, both were alumni of Trinity. Nehru read natural sciences and Rajiv Gandhi studied engineering but as per reports, he did not complete his degree
When Rahul Gandhi had filed his affidavit from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi constituency that he obtained an MPhil from Trinity College of the University of Cambridge, UK, in 1995, in Developmental Economics, a newspaper report had raised questions over his educational qualification mentioned in the nomination papers
Cambridge University's former vice-chancellor Professor Alison Richard said that Rahul was awarded an MPhil in Development Studies in 1995. Though, Rahul Gandhi has not commented on the same as his nomination papers falsely mentioned an MPhil in Developmental Economics
"The University of Cambridge would like to clarify that Mr Rahul Gandhi was a student at the University of Cambridge as a member of Trinity College from October 1994 to July 1995 and was awarded an MPhil in Development Studies in 1995. Mr Gandhi's conduct was exemplary and he remained in good standing throughout while at the University of Cambridge," read the 2009 letter from the then vice-chancellor Professor Alison Richard