TMC wants Delhi land cleared of ‘illegal’ temples to build office, govt says it’s party’s job

In 2013, land was allotted to Trinamool Congress in Delhi for its office. In the seven years since, the party has been tussling with central govt to get encroachments cleared.

The land in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in Delhi that was allotted to TMC in 2013 | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

New Delhi: Two illegal temples and a political tussle between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) seems to have cast a shadow on the fate of the West Bengal ruling party having its office in Delhi.

The Union housing and urban affairs ministry had allotted a 1,008-square-metre land in central Delhi’s Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg to TMC for building its office in December 2013.

But nearly seven years since Plot No 4 and 5 were allotted to the party, the Trinamool Congress is yet to take possession. Reason: several encroachments, which include two temples. While the encroachments were already there on the land before it was allotted to TMC, now they have grown even more.

The TMC now wants the housing ministry, which is the owner of the land, to clear the encroachments and then hand over the land so that it can start work, party sources told ThePrint. The party also said this is how the central government is “depriving” Bengal.

The ministry, meanwhile, maintained the land was allotted to the party on an “as is where is” (take it as it is) basis and the onus is on the allottee, i.e. the Trinamool Congress, to remove the encroachments.

‘Don’t need charity, we want what is our right’

A senior Trinamool MP, who did not want to be named, told ThePrint: “We are the third largest political party in Parliament and one of the few national parties as recognised by the Election Commission. Yet we still have not been handed over the land for our office in Delhi.”

“We have paid for the land many years ago and are now being given the run-around. We don’t need charity, we want what is our right. There are dozens of examples of how the Centre is depriving Bengal. This is another.”

Senior TMC leaders, including the party’s parliamentary leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O’ Brien and Rajya Sabha MP Subrata Bakshi, wrote several letters to the ministry, requesting for providing land free of encroachments, said party sources.

One such letter, accessed by ThePrint, was written by O’Brien in 2017 to housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Puri, in which he had said: “As a member of a recognised national party with almost 50 MPs, I am saddened to inform you that despite running from pillar to post for many years, we are still ‘office-less’ in Delhi. We are compelled to run our office from the residence of the undersigned.” 

TMC sources said the last such letter was written by Bakshi in February 2019 to the land and development officer in the ministry, requesting the latter to take all necessary steps to hand over vacant possession of the plot and it should not be on “as is where is basis”.

‘Our land allotment policy is very clear’

A senior official of the housing ministry, who did not want to be named, told ThePrint, “Our land allotment policy is very clear on this.”

“It says that removal of any encroachments and structures on the allotted land shall be the responsibility of the allottee.”

National political parties, which have been recognised by the Election Commission and the regional parties having at least seven MPs in both houses of the Parliament, are considered for allotment of land in Delhi to construct their office, according to the central government. 

The size of the plot depends on the number of MPs a party has. A party with upto 15 MPs is entitled to get 500 square metre land in Delhi, while a party with a strength of 16 to 25 MPs is entitled to 1,000 square metre land.

So far, 13 parties have been allotted land in the capital. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi was the latest addition to the list. The party was allotted 1,000 square metre land in Mehrauli Badarpur Road in 2017.