Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been served a notice to vacate his 12-year-old Tughlaq Lane bungalow in Delhi. Following the disqualification notice issued last week, the Housing Committee of the Lok Sabha served Gandhi with a notice to vacate the bungalow at 12 Tughlaq Lane.
According to a senior official, a member of the Lok Sabha who has been disqualified must leave the official bungalow within a month of losing his membership.
A different official said Gandhi could write to the Housing Committee and ask for a longer stay, which the panel could look into.
The notification that was sent out by the Lok Sabha Secretariat was sent to a number of departments, including the Directorate of Estates and the New Delhi Municipal Council. Additionally, all of Gandhi's benefits as a member of Parliament are being looked at.
Rahul Gandhi was given 12 Tughlaq Lane in Lutyens' Delhi in 2004, when he won his first Lok Sabha election from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
Convicted for defamation over his "all Modis are criminals" comment, Rahul Gandhi was excluded from the Lok Sabha on Friday.
When Rahul Gandhi lost in Amethi but won in Wayanad in Kerala in 2019, he kept the bungalow, which is in the highest "Type 8" category.
In the defamation case brought by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname," the Wayanad MP was given a sentence of two years in prison by the court.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the sister of Rahul Gandhi, was also asked to leave her bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi in 2020. The government said that because her SPG protection had been taken away, she was not entitled to the facility.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari reacted and said, "This shows BJP's hatred towards Rahul Gandhi. For a period of 30 days after the notice is served, one can rightfully continue to stay in the same house. After the 30-day time period, one can continue to stay in the same house by paying rent at market rates. Rahul Gandhi comes under 'Z' plus security category."
Dressed In Black, Opposition MPs Stage Protest
On Monday, a number of opposition MPs marched from parliament to Vijay Chowk in black to express their displeasure with the government and Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
Sonia Gandhi, a Congress MP, and Mallikarjun Kharge, the party chief, were among the protesters who gathered near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex and chanted anti-government slogans.
The MPs moved toward Vijay Chowk, where they held a sit-in, carrying large banners with the words "Satyamev Jayate" and "save democracy" written on them.
"How has Adani's wealth multiplied so much in the last few years. When you are going to foreign countries how many times have you taken the industrialist with you. The PM has not been able to give answers to questions raised against Adani," Kharge told reporters at Vijay Chowk.
"We want a JPC on the Adani issue. Why is the government not agreeing to this? Why are you scared of a JPC probe... it means 'dal mein kuchh kala hai' (something is wrong)," he said.
The opposition has requested that a joint parliamentary committee investigate the Adani Group's claims of corporate fraud and stock price manipulation.
Kharge likewise raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi's preclusion as MP after a Surat court indicted and condemned him in a 2019 criminal maligning case.
"You want to defame Rahul Gandhi that is why you transferred the case to Gujarat even as the comments were made in Kolar in Karnataka. Today is a black day for democracy," Kharge said.
Kharge claimed that the prime minister is "finishing" democracy because opposition lawmakers were wearing black attire.
On Monday, the Trinamool Congress, which had previously avoided opposition demonstrations, joined the sit-in.
MPs from Congress, TMC, BRS, and SP previously met at the Parliament complex to discuss a strategy for moving forward with the Adani case and Rahul Gandhi's disqualification in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.