Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday accused Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi of declaring himself a British citizen to start a company in the United Kingdom. Swamy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that Gandhi be stripped of his Indian citizenship as well as his parliamentary membership, reported The Indian Express. The Congress dismissed the allegations, saying the BJP was resorting to “petty and mindless mud-slinging” as it was frustrated by its defeat in the Bihar polls, the internal revolt and policy paralysis.

In his letter to Modi, Swamy alleged that Rahul had floated a company called Backops Limited in the UK in 2003, and that he had declared himself a British citizen with a UK address in the official documentation. Swamy also claimed that Gandhi held 65% of the company’s shares. The letter said, “No MP can incorporate a company abroad without permission and without declaring the same in his nomination form as a candidate for election to Parliament.”