Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's govt accommodation cancelled, asked to clear Rs 3.46 lakh dues

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's govt accommodation cancelled, asked to clear Rs 3.46 lakh dues

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has been asked to vacate her Lodhi Estate bungalow after living there for the past 23 years. The Central Government on Wednesday cancelled government accommodation allotted to her and asked her to vacate the house within one month.

A notice regarding this was issued to the Congress General Secretary by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The decision was taken as she is not an SPG protectee now.

The Ministry of Home Affairs in its communication dated June 30 said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been assigned Z+ security with CRPF cover on an all-India basis, which does not have any provision for allotment or retention of government accommodation.

Persons with Z+ security cover are not entitled to government accommodation. Exceptions can be made only by the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA), based on security perception assessment by the MHA on their recommendation.

In view of this, she is no longer entitled to government accommodation and her allotment has been cancelled by the Directorate of Estate on July 1, 2020 with the direction to vacate the house within one month, the order said.

As per government records, the Congress General Secretary Incharge of East UP has accumulated dues of Rs 3,46,677 as on June 30. She has been issued notice to clear these dues and rent for the period she vacates the accommodation.

She was allotted Bangalow No 35 in Lodhi Estate on February 21, 1997 on security ground as an SPG protectee.

Earlier, the CCA in its meeting held on December 7, 2000 had reviewed the guidelines on the allotment of government accommodation on security ground and decided that in future no private person, other than those who are SPG protectees, shall be given government accommodation on security ground.

Such allotment was to be done at the market rate which is 50 times of normal rent.

Later, in July 2003, it was decided to charge a special rate of the licence fee which is 20 times of the normal rent from such allottees.

Earlier in November 2019, the government withdrew Special Protection Group (SPG) cover of the Gandhi family, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party MP Rahul Gandhi.

The MHA had decided to remove the SPG protection given to the Gandhi family and give them 'Z Plus' security instead, provided by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The decision was taken after assessing threat inputs from all intelligence agencies, which suggested that in the recent past, there has been no direct threat to the family, the government said.

The Gandhis had got the SPG cover since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.