Priyanka pays dues on Lutyens’ bungalow
■ Speeds up shifting base to Lucknow, Sheila Kaul’s house renovated for her
A day after the Union urban development ministry asked her to vacate her bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday cleared her dues with sources saying that she would be shifting base to Lucknow soon.
She is the Congress general secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh. Sources said party veteran Sheila Kaul’s house was renovated months back for her.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Lalan Kumar said the decision of shifting base was made even before she got the notice to vacate the government bungalow in Delhi. “Priyanka Gandhi is in-charge of the state and it was decided six months ago that she had to shift her base to Lucknow”.
“The Kaul house has been renovated as per her requirements and she had also stayed there for three days in the past,” he added.
Sheila Kaul, who died in 2015, was the sister-in-law of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. She had been a Union minister. Her house is located on Gokhle Marg in Lucknow, about 3 km
from the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters.
When Priyanka Gandhi was appointed Congress general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the then party president Rahul Gandhi had said his sister has been given the responsibility as part of a long-term plan.
Meanwhile, the urban development ministry said that Ms Priyanka Gandhi has made online payment of balance amount due on her before vacating the Lutyen’s Delhi bungalow. She had accumulated dues of `3,46,677 till June 30, the ministry said. The directorate of estate department of the ministry had issued a notice to her to vacate her house within a month.
Meanwhile, the Congress has termed the notice on vacating the bungalow as a case of “political vendetta”. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has protested the move and urged the Centre to revoke the order. “Captain Amarinder Singh takes exception to orders asking Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi to vacate govt house, urges Centre to restore her SPG cover and revoke allotment cancellation on security grounds in view of threat perception to Gandhi family,” the Punjab chief minister’s office said in a statement.
◗ UTTAR PRADESH Congress spokesperson Lalan Kumar said the decision of shifting base was made even before she got the notice to vacate the official bungalow in Delhi
◗ PRIYANKA GANDHI has made online payment of balance amount due on her before vacating the bungalow. She had accumulated dues of `3,46,677 till June 30, the urban development ministry said