mangalore today

Rahul Gandhi asked to vacate govt-allotted bungalow in a month


Mangalore Today News Network / News18

New Delhi, Mar 27, 2023: The Lok Sabha Housing Committee has given notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to vacate his government-allotted bungalow in a month, sources said on Monday, days after he was disqualified from the parliament.

 

Rahul Gandhi


The potential loss of the prestigious house at 12, Tughlaq Lane in Lutyens’ Delhi is expected to be a massive symbolic blow to Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The bungalow was allotted to the four-time MP in 2004 when he won his first Lok Sabha election from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha a day after he was convicted in a 2019 defamation case regarding his “all Modis are thieves” remark. The disqualification will prevent Gandhi, a four-time MP, from contesting elections for eight years unless a higher court stays the conviction.

According to a senior official, a disqualified Lok Sabha member has to vacate the official bungalow within one month of losing his membership. Gandhi can write to the Housing Committee seeking an extended stay, a request that can be considered by the panel, another official said.

The notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat was marked to various departments, including the Directorate of Estates, New Delhi Municipal Council, and all the benefits available to Gandhi as a member of Parliament too are under review, a PTI report said.

Scores of Indian Youth Congress activists staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi earlier in the day against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha and were detained when they tried to march towards Parliament.

Indian Youth Congress (IYC) activists from across the country gathered at the Jantar Mantar to show solidarity with Gandhi and criticised the central government for “silencing" voices of the democratic opposition. Carrying IYC flags and “Satyameva Jayate" placards, the protesters demanded justice for Gandhi.

The former Wayanad MP, in an explosive press conference on Saturday, said he would not bow down and alleged that his disqualification from the Lok Sabha was due to him raising questions on the Adani issue. He asserted that he will continue to do so even if he is disqualified from Parliament for life.