Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s new home in the nation’s capital is being renovated (File)
New Delhi:
Chief Congresswoman Priyanka Gandhi Vadra left her official bungalow in Delhi’s upscale Lodhi Estate on Thursday before the deadline specified in the July 1 eviction order. The central government, in the notice, had asked him to leave the sprawling premises by August 1 on pain of financial penalties.
Ms Gandhi, the daughter of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party secretary general, will stay in a Gurgaon penthouse for a few days before moving to her new home in central Delhi, the PTI news agency said citing sources.
His new home in the nation’s capital is undergoing renovations, the agency reported.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs asked her to vacate Bungalow 35 at Lodhi Estate assigned to her in 1997 because she no longer had the security of the Special Protection Group. She was not entitled to a bungalow, officials said, unless the Home Office made an exception for safety reasons.
“Following the withdrawal of SPG protection and the granting of Z + security cover by the Home Office, which does not provide for the allocation / retention of government housing for security reasons , the allocation of house type 6B number 35, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi is hereby canceled with effect from 07/01/2020 ”, the notice said.
Congress had called for the movement to retaliate against Ms Gandhi for speaking out against BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Central.
A few weeks ago, BJP’s Ms Gandhi and Hardeep Singh Puri exchanged tweets after it was alleged that an influential congressional leader called the Union Minister to ask for more time to leave the bungalow .
Hardeep Puri, after Ms Gandhi reported on a news article making the allegation, said: “The facts speak for themselves! A powerful Congress leader with a lot of influence in the party called me the July 4, 2020 at 12:05 p.m. to request that 35, Lodhi’s Estate be allocated to another INC MP so Priyanka Vadra can stay. Let’s not sensationalize everything please. “
Ms Gandhi, in a reply, denied any calls made on her behalf and said she would vacate the bungalow before the deadline.
“If someone calls you Mr. Puri, I thank him for his concern, and I also thank you for your consideration, but that still does not change the facts: I did not make such a request, and I do no such request. As I said, I will be vacating the house on August 1st .. as required by the eviction letter, “she tweeted.
The Center awarded the bungalow to BJP deputy Anil Baluni. Ms. Gandhi recently extended an invitation to tea. The chef, instead, invited her and her family to dinner, promising to serve all of the traditional Uttarakhand dishes.
