New Delhi: Two senior Congress leaders, Gurdeep Sappal and Madhya Pradesh MLA Praveen Pathak, met Union urban development minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday after the Congress was served eviction notice by the Directorate of Estates directing it to vacate its two bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi by March 28. The party currently occupies two Type VIII bungalows under the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) - its long-held national address at 24, Akbar Road (since 1990) and the Indian Youth Congress office at 5, Raisina Road (since 1976). (PTI)
The party currently occupies two Type VIII bungalows under the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) - its long-held national address at 24, Akbar Road (since 1990) and the Indian Youth Congress office at 5, Raisina Road (since 1976). The Congress has however relocated to the new headquarters, Indira Bhawan, at 9A, Kotla Marg, on January 15, last year.
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP-led government, Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that the move was aimed at diverting attention from pressing economic concerns. “Our 24 Akbar Road office and Youth Congress office have received a notice. What is the priority of the entire country today? The priority of the country is that there is no need to get stuck in the LPG lines… everything is stuck right now. This is the priority of the country... But the priority of the government is in front of you today,” Khera said.
“Government has prioritised to focus on all these issues… to shut the mouth of the opposition so that they cannot raise these issues… No matter how much you try, you will not be able to shut the mouth of the Congress,” he added.
Senior leader Jairam Ramesh termed the notice “revenge” for the Youth Congress’s shirtless protests at an AI summit.
Echoing similar sentiments, Congress MP Imran Masood questioned why similar action has not been taken against the BJP despite its land allotment. “The government thinks it can create pressure on the Congress. Are they going to act against the BJP’s offices at Pant Marg or Ashoka Road?” Masood told news agency ANI.
The ministry of housing and urban affairs could not be reached for comment.
According to a 2012 Land and Development Office memorandum, parties allotted land under a 2006 policy must vacate GPRA housing after constructing offices or within three years of possession, whichever is earlier.
Other national parties with bungalows in the Lutyens’ zone include the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allotted a Type VII bungalow at Pandit Pant Marg in 1999. More recent allotments include the National People’s Party at 75 North Avenue (August 2021), the Bahujan Samaj Party at Lodhi Estate (February 2024), and the Aam Aadmi Party at 1 Canning Lane (July 2024).