On July 1, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, daughter of party chief Sonia Gandhi, was asked by the Centre to vacate her government accommodation as she is no longer in the list of Special Protection Group (SPG).
In its order, the Ministry of Home Affairs asserted that Priyanka Gandhi had been assigned 'Z plus' security with the CRPF cover on the all-India basis, which did not have any provision for allotment or retention of government accommodation. Thus, she was asked to vacate Bungalow No 35 in south Delhi's Lodhi Estate within a month.
However, a recent report by a leading news agency claimed that Priyanka Gandhi sought an extension to continue staying in Lutyens bungalow and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to her request.
The report stated that the Centre was approached to allow Priyanka Gandhi to stay at 35 Lodhi Estate bungalow for some more time and when the matter was brought to PM Modi's notice, he said that the request should most certainly be complied with.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to a request to allow Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to retain the 35, Lodhi Estate Bungalow for some time," the report read.
Priyanka Gandhi clears the air
Taking to her official Twitter account, Priyanka Gandhi dubbed the news of requesting to stay longer at the government accommodation as fake. She clarified that she will be vacating the Lutyens bungalow before the due date.
"This is FAKE NEWS. I have not made any such request to the government. As per the eviction letter handed to me on the 1st of July, I will be vacating the government accommodation at 35 Lodhi Estate by the 1st of August," wrote Priyanka Gandhi as she shared the link to the report as well.
Priyanka Gandhi was allotted 35 Lodhi Estate bungalow on February 21, 1997, on security grounds as an SPG protectee. As per records, she has accumulated Rs 3,46,677 dues as on June 30, 2020, and has also been issued a notice to clear the amount for the period till she vacates the accommodation.
