Rahul Gandhi bungalow eviction: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as Member of Parliament (MP) after being convicted in a defamation case, on Friday (April 21) moved out all his belongings from his official residence, sources said. Said he would hand over to 12, Tughlaq Lane. The bungalow of the Lok Sabha Secretariat on Saturday (April 22).
The former Congress president was asked to vacate the premises by April 22 following his conviction by a Surat court for the Modi surname remark and his disqualification following a two-year sentence. The former Congress chief had shifted his office and some personal belongings from the bungalow to the official residence of his mother Sonia Gandhi on April 14.
Sources said that Gandhi on Friday evening removed her remaining belongings from the bungalow that was allotted to her as an MP. A truck with their belongings was seen leaving the building. He has been living in the bungalow for nearly two decades.
Sources said that after changing his office, he started living with his mother and Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence.
Disqualification of Rahul as MP,
A court in Surat convicted Gandhi of defamation on March 23 and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment, leading to his disqualification. He challenged the magisterial court order in the Surat sessions court, which had rejected his appeal to set aside the sentence, which would have paved the way for his reinstatement as an MP.
The party has said that the sessions court’s order will be challenged in the Gujarat High Court next week. A day after his disqualification, the Lok Sabha Secretariat sent a notice to Gandhi to vacate the premises by 22 April.
Sources said that Rahul Gandhi is looking for a place to set up his independent office. A few years ago, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also asked to vacate her Lodhi Estate bungalow after her SPG security cover was withdrawn.
Rahul Gandhi was first elected as an MP from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in 2004 and shifted his constituency to Wayanad in 2019.
(with inputs from agencies)
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