New Delhi: Following his disqualification as the Member of the Parliament issued by the Lok Sabha, Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was on Monday asked to vacate the official bungalow -- 12, Tughlaq Lane -- allotted to him by April 22, official sources said. The Housing Committee of the Lok Sabha issued the notice to Gandhi against the backdrop of his conviction in the 'defamation' case pertaining to PM Modi's surname, with a punishment of two years jail term.
A local court in Gujarat had convicted Gandhi on March 23, thereby triggering his automatic disqualification as a Lok Sabha member. A senior official said a disqualified Lok Sabha member has to vacate the official bungalow within one month of losing his membership, which has made the notice issued today an apparent move.
Another official said that Gandhi can write to the Housing Committee seeking an extended stay, a request that can be considered by the panel. 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.
Gandhi has been given a period of 30 days to vacate the premises to avoid eviction, the sources said. Congress workers have held protests in different parts of the country following Rahul Gandhi's disqualification. The party has attacked the Modi government on the issue and said that it will fight the matter legally and politically.
The court verdict, which came last week, related to Rahul Gandhi's Modi surname remarks made during an election rally in April 2019 in Karnataka. The court approved Gandhi's bail on a surety and stayed the sentence for 30 days to allow him to approach the higher courts. (With Agency Inputs)
