New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will vacate his official bungalow in Delhi after being disqualified as an MP last week.
In a letter addressed to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, he wrote: “As an elected member of the Lok Sabha for the last 4 terms, it is the mandate of the people to which I owe the happy memories of my time spent here.” He added, “Without prejudice to my rights, I will, of course abide by the details contained in your letter”.
"As an elected Member of Lok Sabha over last 4 terms, it is the mandate of the people to which I owe the happy memories of my time spent here. Without prejudice to my rights, I will, of course, abide by the details contained in your letter," Rahul Gandhi writes to Deputy… https://t.co/c3LzehDt9u pic.twitter.com/k5VW47TZB1
— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2023
Soon after his disqualification, the Housing Committee of Lok Sabha directed Gandhi on Monday to vacate his 12, Tughlaq Lane home, a move Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge labelled as an attempt to “scare, threaten and humiliate” the leader.
Saying Gandhi can stay with his mother Sonia or he would vacate a bungalow for the leader, Kharge said: “I condemn the attitude of the government to scare, threaten and humiliate him. This isn’t the way. Sometimes, we have been without a bungalow for three to four months. I got one after six months. People do this to humiliate others.”
According to news agency ANI, Rahul Gandhi has been given 30 days to vacate to avoid eviction.
The Congress leader was disqualified from the Lok Sabha Friday after a Surat district court found him guilty of defamation for a remark he made on the “Modi” surname at a 2019 election rally.
Convicted under Sections 499 and 500, Gandhi was handed a jail term of two years, which, according to a 2013 Supreme Court ruling, automatically disqualified him as a legislator.
The leader has been granted bail for 30 days during which he can appeal to a higher court.
Also read: Kharge slams Centre after Rahul asked to vacate bungalow