Ministry of External Affairs is getting Jinnah House transferred in its name, says Swaraj

In a letter to Maharashtra MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Sushma Swaraj informed that the Ministry is in the process of getting the Jinnah House transferred to its name.

Image tweeted by @MEAIndia

New Delhi: Jinnah House, the Mumbai situated bungalow of Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah is being taken over by the Ministry of External Affairs. In a letter to Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Union minister Sushma Swaraj informed that the Ministry is in the process of getting the Jinnah House transferred to its name.  Swaraj also said that her ministry will renovate the bungalow on the lines of Hyderabad House in Delhi. The Prime Minister’s Office has given relevant directions to the Ministry of External Affairs in this regard. BJP legislator Lodha had written to Swaraj on October 5 requesting that Jinnah House should be made a cultural centre. He had been raising this demand in front of the government since past seven years. He had also demanded for the ownership of Jinnah house to be transferred to government, in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly as well. Swaraj mentioned in the letter that the Ministry has received direction from the PMO for the proper renovation of the house and for its refurbishment. The approval for the transfer of the sea-facing bungalow to the Ministry of External Affairs has also been given by the Prime Minister’s Office. Lodha had written in his letter to the Foreign Minister that the Jinnah House where the conspiracy to divide India was hatched, has been lying deserted. The government should, therefore, start the process of transfer and should start setting up facilities there, The Foreign Minister’s letter came as a response to Lodha’s  demand.