Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi have not paid rent, reveals RTI reply

 

New Delhi: An RTI reply to a query, filed by activist Sujit Patel, has revealed that the rent of several properties occupied by Congress leaders, including the official residence of Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi are overdue for a long time.

Responding to the RTI query, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development replied stating that rent of Rs 12,69,902 against Congress party headquarters on Akbar Road has been due since December 2012.

According to the reply rent for Sonia Gandhi’s residence on 10 Janpath Road was last received in September 2020 and the pending amount is Rs 4,610. Sonia Gandhi’s personal secretary Vincent George who resides at Bungalow No. C-ll/109 in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi has pending rent dues of ₹ 5,07,911, and the last time rent was paid was in August 2013.

As per the housing rules which allows accommodation to national and state political parties every party is given three years’ time to construct their own office following which the government bungalow will have to be vacated.

The Congress was allotted land in June 2010 on 9-A Rouse Avenue to build a party office.

The Congress party was required to vacate the Akbar Road office and a couple of more bungalows by 2013 however the grand old party has taken multiple extensions so far.

It may be recalled that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had got a notice to vacate her Lodhi Road accommodation within a months’ time in July 2020.