Jaitley says Rahul Gandhi got an M.Phil without a master’s degree

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday, April 13, hit back at the Congress for questioning Smriti Irani’s educational qualifications, alleging that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had obtained an M.Phil without a master’s degree.

What Jaitley wrote

In a Facebook post, Jaitley said the Congress focused on the BJP candidate’s education while ignoring that a public scrutiny of Rahul Gandhi’s academic record might raise many unanswered questions. He wrote that Gandhi “got an M.Phil without a Masters degree”.

Swamy’s claims

Jaitley’s comments came shortly after BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, in a veiled reference to Gandhi, claimed that a Cambridge certificate showed the name Raul Vinci and a failing result in National Economic Planning and Policy. Swamy posted on Twitter what he described as a Cambridge University certificate stating that Raul Vinci scored 58 percent in that subject and 62.8 percent overall, with 60 percent being the pass mark. He described it as proof of failure. Swamy had earlier alleged that Rahul Gandhi held four passports, including one in the name of Raul Vinci.

Background

The exchange followed a complaint by the Congress to the Election Commission alleging that Smriti Irani had filed contradictory affidavits about her educational qualifications.

The statements by Jaitley and Swamy are allegations made during the campaign. While the Congress complaint concerned Irani’s affidavits, Jaitley’s response centred on Gandhi’s academic record.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress and political leaders

Originally published on 13 April 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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