The Congress leader was served a notice to vacate the government bungalow allotted to him following his disqualification as an MP.
Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra. (Instagram)
Disqualified Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, 28 March, replied to the Lok Sabha (LS) Secretariat’s notice to vacate his official bungalow and said he will abide by the eviction notice, even as his party and other Opposition leaders slammed the government, calling it a “petty act”.
The Congress leader was on Monday served a notice to vacate the government bungalow allotted to him by 22 April, following his disqualification as a member of Lok Sabha after his conviction in a criminal defamation case last week.
In his communication to the LS Secretariat, Gandhi said, “Thank you for your letter of 27 March, 2023, regarding the cancellation of my accommodation at 12 Tughlak Lane. As an elected member of the Lok Sabha over the last four terms, it is the mandate of the people to which I owe the happy memories of my time spent here.”
“Without prejudice to my rights, I will, of course, abide by the details contained in your letter,” he said in his reply to the Members’ Services (MS) branch of the LS Secretariat which had sent him the notice.
The Housing Committee of the Lok Sabha took the decision following which the secretariat of the House served the notice on the former Congress president, a Z-plus protectee who has been living in the 12, Tughlaq Lane bungalow since 2005.
Slamming the Centre over the eviction notice, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he condemns the government’s attitude to “threaten, scare and humiliate” the former party chief.
He also said that Gandhi could go and live with his mother Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence or he could himself provide a house by vacating one for the Gandhi scion.
“They will do everything to weaken him (Rahul Gandhi). He can go live with his mother or he can come to me, I will vacate one for him. I condemn this attitude of the government to threaten, scare and humiliate,” Kharge told reporters before leaving for Parliament.
“In a democracy, several times we have managed without a house for three-four months. I got this bungalow after six months. People do these things to humiliate others. I condemn this attitude,” the Congress president said.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also took a swipe at the government over the move, calling it “petty politics”.
“Rahul asked to vacate the bungalow. Their conscience has gone on a vacation. Petty politics of petty men,” Sibal tweeted.
Rahul asked to vacate bungalow
Their conscience has gone on a vacation
Petty politics
Of petty men— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) March 28, 2023
Asked about the eviction notice at a press conference, Union minister Smriti Irani said the property does not belong to him, but to the people.
A senior official said a Member of Parliament (MP) has to vacate the official bungalow within one month of losing his membership.
The Congress has already announced a protest march from Red Fort to Town Hall in old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha.
During the ‘Loktantra Bachao Mashal Shanti March’, the Congress MPs will hold burning torches in their hands during the march.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleged Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha under a conspiracy.
Claiming that the success of Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ worried the BJP leaders, Gehlot reiterated that democracy is under threat and no one knows in which direction India is heading.
Firing a salvo at the BJP, Gehlot asked, “How are you treating Rahul Gandhi, whose father and grandmother were martyred for the country? He was not allowed to speak in parliament.”
The Congress’ campaign following Rahul Gandhi’s “hasty disqualification” from the Lok Sabha is meant to safeguard democracy and highlight corruption in the country, senior leader Ajay Maken said.
The former Union minister also reiterated the party’s demand for setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe into the allegations against the Adani Group.
“Look at the sequence of events, which culminated in the hasty disqualification of Gandhi — who raised serious questions on the links between (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Adani in Parliament. Instead of getting answers, he was disqualified which we see as democracy-disqualified.
“Our fight is not for Rahul (Gandhi) but it is meant to safeguard democracy in the country. We will continue our protest to expose corruption and safeguard the interests of the common citizens, who are becoming victims of crony capitalism,” Maken told reporters at the Congress’ headquarters in Jammu.
The BJP on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress leader’s refusal to apologise to the OBC community for his “indecent” comments is yet another “manifestation” of the Gandhi family’s political arrogance.
Smriti Irani alleged that Gandhi was trying to “rip” apart the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But he will not succeed as the people of the country are with the prime minister, she asserted at a press conference.
The grandson of late Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, on Monday, sought action against Rahul Gandhi for his comments and also challenged the Congress leader to show documents that prove he had apologised to the British.
“Using the names of patriots to promote politics is wrong and deplorable. Action must be taken,” Savarkar said.
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday said Opposition unity in the face of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification provides a fertile ground to “build an edifice on”, and noted that if this is the beginning of more sustained cooperation it was “worth paying the price” for.
Khurshid also said he was confident that Rahul Gandhi will be back in Parliament “very quickly” through the legal process.
In an interview with PTI, the former law minister said changes to the law on the disqualification of legislators were “inevitable” as steps undertaken to clean up the political system have some unintended dimensions and Rahul Gandhi’s case seems to be one such instance.
To what extent should freedom of speech be allowed and be flexible for representatives of the people outside Parliament and outside legislatures is a question that needs to be considered now, Khurshid said.
He also said Gandhi’s disqualification has an emotional content which is very similar to the disqualification of former prime minister Indira Gandhi from Lok Sabha over four decades ago that will feed into people’s reactions.
The United States is watching the court case of Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, an official has said while observing that Washington continues to engage with India on the shared commitment towards democratic principles and the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression.
Gandhi was on 23 March sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “why all thieves have Modi surname” remark. A day later, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case.
“Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy. We are watching Mr Gandhi’s case in Indian courts and we engage with the Government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values, including, freedom of expression,” the State Department’s Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
(With PTI inputs)
Apr 29, 2024
Apr 29, 2024
Apr 29, 2024
Apr 29, 2024
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 28, 2024
