The Lok Sabha Housing Committee issued a notice to Congress Senior leader Rahul Gandhi to vacate his government-allotted 12 Tughlaq lane bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi after he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case. The deadline to vacate the bungalow, which Rahul Gandhi has been occupying since he was allotted the same after he became a member of Lok Sabha from Amethi in 2004, has been fixed for April 22.
No sooner did the Lok Sabha Secretariat cancel the government privilege provided to the Gandhi scion, members of the Congress party began crying hoarse, accusing the central government of using “scare tactics, threats, and humiliation to suppress Gandhi.” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge went to the extent of offering the Gandhi scion the govt bungalow that he has been allotted.
“They will make all attempts to weaken him (Rahul Gandhi) but if he vacates the bungalow, he’ll go live with his mother or he can come to me & I’ll vacate one. I condemn the attitude of Govt to scare, threaten & humiliate him. This isn’t the way. Sometimes, we’ve been without a bungalow for 3-4 months. I received my bungalow after 6 months. People do this to humiliate others. I condemn such an attitude,” Kharge told ANI.
“Can live with his mother or he can come to me…,” Congress chief Kharge on Rahul Gandhi bungalow row
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) March 28, 2023
Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/2TiZ3sIlFK#RahulGandhi #MallikarjunKharge #Congress pic.twitter.com/UgqW9aZ4y9
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also stepped in to defend her brother and in a bid to do so, she went on to compare her family to Lord Ram and Pandavs.
While the entire Congress ecosystem is busy painting Rahul Gandhi as a victim over his bungalow, it is probably a good time to recall how his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, overstayed in the government-allotted bungalow on taxpayers’ money.
Priyanka Gandhi lived in the government-allocated bungalow at 35, Lodhi Estate in Delhi’s posh Lutyens area, which she received due to the requirements of SPG security that was provided to her at the time. Priyanka stayed in the bungalow for over 2 decades, until July 2020, when she was forced to vacate it.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vacated the government-allocated bungalow where she had been living since 1997, in July 2020. Even after losing her SPG cover in November 2019, she continued to stay in the bungalow for over 8 months, until she was given an ultimatum by the government of India in July 2020 to vacate the bungalow latest by August 1, 2020.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra continued to stay in govt accommodation despite the removal of SPG cover
In November 2019, the SPG cover provided to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was withdrawn and replaced by CRPF security. And even after that for almost 8 months, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra continued to stay in the government bungalow.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a private citizen, was allotted a Type VI bungalow in February 1997 on the recommendation of the SPG, home ministry, and cabinet secretariat. The accommodation was deemed necessary due to the SPG security, and due to the requirement of space for the SPG commandos protecting her. She had been staying in the govt bungalow even though she was not a public servant, neither a govt official nor a member of parliament or assembly. She had been granted the house only on the basis of her SPG-protected status.
The Gandhi scion convinced the Vajpayee govt to reduce her monthly rent
In 2002, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government was at the helm of affairs, then too, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra managed to retain her accommodation. It was reported how she had convinced the Vajpayee government to reduce the monthly rent for her 2,765.18 sqm house in Lutyens’ Delhi from Rs 53,421 to only Rs 8,888, a whopping 83% reduction.
When the house was originally granted to Priyanka Vadra in 1997, its rent was Rs 19,900 per month, as per the market rate at this time. The rate was gradually increased, but Vadra managed to slash the rates citing her inability to pay, and also by arguing that she was not using the whole bungalow, as parts of it were occupied by SPG.
Priyanka Gandhi even stopped paying rent
When the Modi govt came to power, many BJP supporters demanded that Priyanka Vadra should be evicted from the govt house, but she managed to stay on during the first term of the Narendra Modi govt. The SPG protection status of the Gandhi family, including hers, was retained by the home ministry, and therefore, she was able to retain the house. As long as she remained under the protection of SPG, the accommodation remained available to her by default.
Moreover, according to sources, Priyanka Gandhi also did not pay rent for almost a year. According to the reports, Gandhi had dues of Rs 3,46,677 while vacating the house, for which she was issued a notice to clear this due amount.
In 2019, the Home Ministry decided to replace the SPG category status of the Gandhi family with Z-plus security after the intelligence agencies had conducted a detailed review of the threat perception of the Gandhis and had advised downgrading from SPG cover to ‘Z-plus security’. This meant that the bungalow was no longer a security requirement. Despite this, the Gandhi scion continued to use the government accommodation for several more months.
Finally, on July 1, 2020, Priyanka Gandhi was served a notice to vacate the government accommodation at 35, Lodhi Estate, by August 1. A few days later, possibly due to the subsequent embarrassment as a result of the public attention the issue garnered, the Gandhi princess cleared her pending dues for the government accommodation and just one day before the deadline, vacated the house.
