Why Priyanka Gandhi Vadra served legal notice to media outlets?

Feature

oi-Avinash

Congress scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has served legal notices against a weekly newspaper and some other media organisations for reporting that speculations were rife that her son will be adopted by her brother Rahul Gandhi.

Why and what media houses reported?

A weekly newspaper and some other media organisations had published that she and her husband were giving their son, Rehan, up for adoption to her brother Rahul Gandhi.

Sources said that Rehan's "adoption" by Rahul may be kept as an extremely guarded secret by the family as it would be aimed at finalising the succession plan amongst the Gandhis, given that the Congress vice president continues to be a bachelor and has no plans to marry in the immediate future, said a Sunday Guardian report.

On what grounds media houses said so?

The newspaper report had talked about speculation within top Congress circles on whether Rahul Gandhi is adopting his sister's Priyanka's son Rehan, 14, so as to enable him to use the Gandhi surname.

Rehan, who had taken admission at Doon School in Dehra Dun sometime ago, had initially started writing his name as Rehan Gandhi, but changed it back to Vadra when some fellow students wanted to know why he was using the Gandhi surname, added the Sunday Guardian report.

What has Priyanka Gandhi done?

Sources that Priyanka Gandhi has threatened criminal and civil action for "defaming" her son and she is "determined to pursue legal remedy" against "false allegations and accusations" being made about her family.

What has Priyanka said about this issue?

Rejecting it as a "malicious work of fiction", Gandhi said in the notice "To allege that a parent would willingly pass his/her child on to someone else as if he were an object devoid of emotion is morbid enough, but to ascribe to it the intention of perpetuating some sort of dynastic political aspiration is even more sickening."

Gandhi has also taken strong objection to the report saying that Rahul Gandhi has been named as her son's guardian in his school admission forms.