Rahul asked to vacate his official bungalow by Apr 22
- New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Secretariat has cancelled the government accommodation to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and he is now allowed to retain 12, Tughluk Lane bungalow till April 22. The allotment of the bungalow "shall deem to have been cancelled from April 24, 2023", according to the letter issued to Gandhi on Monday.
- The communication from the member service branch of the Lok Sabha Secretariat said that consequent upon his disqualification from the membership of current LS, he is now allowed to retain the bungalow for maximum one month till April 22 on earlier terms and conditions as were applicable to a member before his disqualification from the Lower House.
- Officials said this is a routine procedure and as per the existing norms regarding the amenities that MPs can avail, which includes official accommodation. The rules specify that members of Lok Sabha or their families can retain a government accommodation for maximum "one month" after their retirement, resignation, removal or ceasing to be a member on payment of the same rent, which they were paying immediately before such an event.
- The government has been very strict on compliance of the entitlements of official accommodation for MPs and even former ministers. There have been several examples when former ministers had to vacate the bigger accommodation after their exit from the Cabinet and move to smaller houses despite being from the ruling party.
- The Lok Sabha Secretariat has sent a copy of its communication to the Directorate of Estate (DOE) under the housing and urban affairs ministry.