Rahul Gandhi vacates bungalow; BJP veterans stay holed in posh properties
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, April 22: Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi vacated his 12, Tughlaq lane bungalow on Saturday following disqualification of membership from the Lok Sabha. But there are several politicians who are no more members of either of the Houses of Parliament continue to occupy the bungalows allotted them when they were MPs.
Rahul Gandhi lost his Lok Sabha membership after a Surat court convicted for defamation for a remark made against the Modi surname, which he had linked to thieves. He was given the maximum punishment of two years, which invited an automatic disqualification of the membership of the Lok Sabha as per the 2016 interpretation of the Supreme Court verdict.
Rahul Gandhi has moved to 10, Janpath after a gap of 19 years. His mother Sonia Gandhi, a Lok Sabha MP, resides at the 10, Janpath residence. Rahul Gandhi has Z plus security, which is given to the people who are perceived to have highest risks.
But there are several political leaders who continue to stay in the bungalows which were allotted to them when they were the members of Parliament. Former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, both have been president of the BJP in the past and accused in the conspiracy behind the Babri Mosque demolition case, still stay in the bungalows in the Lutyens’ Zone. Advani stays on Prithvi Raj Chouhan Road. Joshi resides on the Raisina Road bungalow.
“There are hundreds of politicians who are still occupying the bungalows which are meant for the MPs. Dinesh Trivedi is one such example. There are rules on the allotment of the bungalows. But the rules are overwhelmed by the discretionary decisions,” said a senior official.
He further stated that the rules call for the first-term MPs to be given accommodations in multi-story buildings. Some of the first term MPs in fact have to wait for years to get accommodations.
“Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh is a first-term Rajya Sabha MP. Now, it may be asked how he got a kothi (bungalow). What happened to the rules? So, there are rules, but there is nothing cast in the stone,” added the official.
The officials in the Lok Sabha secretariat said that there were unauthorized occupants of the bungalows when Congress-led UPA was in power for 10 years at the Centre. The practice still prevails, added the official.
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