Rahul Gandhi vacates his official bungalow in Delhi; Tharoor dubs it 'exemplary gesture'

Disqualified as Lok Sabha MP after conviction in a 2019 defamation case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vacated his official bungalow at 12, Tughlaq Lane, on Saturday (April 22).

However, the Gandhi scion was unable to hand over the keys of the bungalow to the Lok Sabha Secretariat on account of Saturday being a public holiday. He was asked to vacate the premises by April 22 following his disqualification after the conviction and two-year sentence by a Surat court for his “Modi surname” remark.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi shifts belongings, set to vacate official bungalow

The former Congress chief had on April 14 shifted his office and some personal belongings from the bungalow to his mother Sonia Gandhi’s official residence at 10, Janpath. Sources said Rahul moved out his remaining articles on Friday evening from the bungalow which was allotted to him as an MP. A truck was seen moving out the building with his belongings. He had been living in the bungalow for nearly two decades.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Rahul vacating the bungalow was an “exemplary gesture”. “Today Rahul Gandhi vacates his home at TughlaqLane in response to the LokSabha Secretariat’s order. The Court gave him 30 days to appeal & the HC or SC could still reinstate him, but his exemplary gesture to move out shows his respect for the rules. #Respect #MeraGharAapkaGhar,” Tharoor tweeted.

A Surat court had on March 23 convicted Rahul of defamation and awarded him two-year sentence, leading to his disqualification. He had challenged the magisterial court order in the sessions court in Surat which rejected his appeal to set aside the conviction which would have paved the way for his reinstatement as MP. The party has said the sessions court order will be challenged in the Gujarat High Court next week.

Also read: Will abide by bungalow eviction notice: Rahul to LS Secretariat

A day after his disqualification, the Lok Sabha Secretariat had sent Gandhi a notice to vacate the premises by April 22. Sources said Rahul Gandhi has been on a hunt for a space to set up his independent office. A few years ago, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also asked to vacate her Lodhi Estate bungalow after her SPG security cover was removed.

Rahul Gandhi first became an MP from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in 2004 and got elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad (Kerala) in 2019.

(With Agency inputs)