Trucks arrived at the government-allotted bungalow of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in the national capital as the Lok Sabha secretariat had asked him to vacate his official residence by April 22, after he was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha due to his conviction in a criminal defamation case in Gujarat last month.
The 12 Tughlak Lane bungalow was allotted to Gandhi in 2005 after he won his first Lok Sabha election from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress leader got disqualified from the Lok Sabha on March 23, and according to the rule, a disqualified parliamentarian isn’t entitled to a government accommodation, and is given a 30-day period to vacate the official bungalow.
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The disqualification was prompted following a judgment in a criminal defamation case, where a local court in Surat convicted the Congress leader for two-year term over a speech he made ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha election where he asked about ‘how all thieves have Modi surnames’.
At the Congress plenary in Raipur earlier this year, Gandhi spoke about his unusual relationship with his residence and said that he never had a home as he always stayed in government accommodation. He had also said he didn’t have a strong attachment to his house.
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After Gandhi received an eviction notice, the grand old party started a campaign ‘Mera Ghar, Aapka Ghar’ to symbolically dedicated their home to former party chief. Delhi women Congress Sevadal president, Rajkumari Gupta, had transferred her house in Mangolpuri area, which she reportedly “received” at the time of late prime minister Indira Gandhi. Other congress supporters also posted on social media welcoming former Congress chief to their homes.
