Rahul Gandhi has said that Congress party was originally an “NRI movement”. Speaking at Times Square in the US on Wednesday to NRIs, Rahul said, “You are all Non Resident Indians. The original congress movement was an NRI movement.” He went on to add, “Mahatma Gandhi was an NRI, Jawaharlal Nehru came back from England, Ambedkar, Azad, Patel, these were all NRIs. Every single one of them went to the outside world, saw the outside world, returned back to India and used some the ideas they got and transformed India.”

Rahul further said, “I’ll go even further, the biggest success in India, our friends in BJP said nothing happened, but one of the biggest successes in India, the milk that most of India drinks, it was man called Mr. Kurien, he was an NRI. He came from the United States and he transformed India. Sam (Pitroda) is another example. There are thousands of examples that we have not recognised”

Rahul’s latest bid to attract NRI support, however, provided the opposition BJP an opportunity to take potshots at the Congress vice-president. BJP leader Ram Madhav tweeted, “Another gem of wisdom. Gandhi Nehru NRIs. Congress was NRI movement.”

On Wednesday, Madhav had commented, “Let him (Rahul)  travel across the world and campaign for his party. We will take care of India…He is running away from the battleground.”

Who is an NRI

According to the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999, “A Non Resident Indian (NRI) is an Indian citizen or Foreign National of Indian Origin resident outside India for purposes of employment, carrying on business or vocation in circumstances as would indicate an intention to stay outside India for an indefinite period. An individual will also be considered NRI if his stay in India is less than 182 days during the preceding financial year.”