Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party have not paid rent dues for the properties held by them in Lutyens’ Delhi since 2013, a reply to an RTI application has revealed.
According to the response to the RTI application by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), The Congress party has failed to pay the dues for three bungalows including Bungalow no. 26, Akbar Road (office of the Congress frontal wing Seva Dal), Bungalow no. C-II/109, Chanakyapuri and the 10, Janpath bungalow which is the residence of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi.
An RTI reply shows pending rent of @INCIndia properties including 10 Janpath residence of Sonia Gandhi.. pic.twitter.com/ARrMREHsKt
— Payal Mehta/પાયલ મેહતા/ पायल मेहता/ পাযেল মেহতা (@payalmehta100) February 10, 2022
The RTI response says that while the dues for 10, Janpath were last paid in September 2020 the monthly rent accounted for the same is Rs. 4610/- only. For the 26, Akbar Road bungalow which is a type VIII property next to Congress’ headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, the monthly rent for which is more than Rs. 12 lakh has not been cleared since December 2012. The Bungalow in Chanakyapuri which is used as a residence has been in possession of the Congress Party with a monthly rent of Rs. 5,07,911/-. Dues for the same has not been deposited since August 2013.
The RTI application was filed by Surjit Patel from Mithapur, Gujarat while a response to the same was given by the concerned MoHUA, Govt. of India on February 07, 2021.
Earlier in 2015, The Urban Development Ministry had asked the All India Congress Committee to vacate the possession of 26, Akbar Road, C-II/109, Chanakyapuri and two other properties. Letter to the General Secretary, AICC said that the allotments for the above properties were already cancelled in June 2013 after allowing a concessional period of three years.
Spread across 5,181 square meters in New Delhi, 10 Janpath has remained the private residence of Sonia Gandhi since the time of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991. Reportedly, the property is bigger than 7, Lok Kalyan Marg which is the official residence of the Prime Minister of India. The current Congress headquarters of the Congress party – 24, Akbar Road lies right behind this property possessed by Sonia Gandhi.
