Madhya Pradesh man called Rahul Gandhi wants to drop famous surname

Indore: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi might have been grappling with organisational challenges in his party but his 22-year-old namesake from Indore in Madhya Pradesh is worried for other reasons.

Fed up with the difficulties he encounters while convincing others that he is not a “fake” person, Indore-based textile trader Rahul Gandhi is now considering getting rid of his famous surname.

“I have an Aadhaar card as the only document of my identity. When I furnish a copy of this document to purchase a mobile SIM card or for any other work, people consider me a fake person because of my name. They look at me with suspicion,” Rahul told news agency PTI.

“When I introduce myself to unknown people over phone, many of them abruptly hang up, thinking I am a fake caller,” he added.

Rahul says that his family’s actual surname is not ‘Gandhi’. “My father’s name was Rajiv. He worked as a washerman in the Border Security Force. Top Officials used to address my father as Gandhi. My father developed an attachment to Gandhi surname and adopted it. My name was enrolled as Rahul Gandhi instead of Rahul Malviya in school,” he says.