From 12 Tughlaq Lane to Delhi’s Nizamuddin East: Why is Rahul Gandhi moving houses?

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may finally have a house of his own and it has a historical connect to his party. The former Wayanad MP – he was disqualified owing to his conviction in the Modi surname case – has been living with his mother, Sonia Gandhi, at her 10 Janpath home in the capital.

It is believed that he was looking for a home for a while now and had been looking for properties and his search has finally borne fruit. Reports have emerged that the former Congress leader would be soon moving into a modest three-bedroom house and it belonged to none other than former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who spent the last years of her life there.

Here’s what we know about Rahul’s new digs and how it compares to his previous residence at 12 Tughlaq Lane.

Rahul’s new address

Rahul Gandhi has been reportedly on the hunt for a house in the capital and it has now been said that he may soon move into a three-BHK residence, spread over 1,500 square, overlooking the verdant Humayun’s Tomb in South Delhi’s leafy Nizamuddin East locality.

The house belongs to the family of veteran Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, who stayed there from 1991 to 1998. She again shifted to the same flat after 2015 and passed away over there in 2019.

A Business Standard report states that Dikshit bought the house in 1991 and moved into it shortly after her Kerala gubernatorial stint. Incidentally, the house is a few hundred metres from the dargah of 13th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya where Rahul had offered prayers when his Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Delhi in the last week of December.

Also read: Why Rahul Gandhi needs to get out of Lutyens Delhi for a while

Sandip Dikshit, son of the late Sheila Dikshit, had recently put out an informal notice of moving out and this caught the attention of Rahul’s office. An Indian Express report citing sources said that Rahul has visited the house several times and is keen to take up the residence on rent as Sandeep moves to another property in the same neighbourhood.

An NDTV report added that after receiving a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from security agencies, Rahul will move into the house, bidding adieu to his mother’s residence at 10 Janpath.

Goodbye, Tughlaq Lane

The likely move to Nizamuddin East locality comes after the Congress leader was asked to vacate his spacious and luxurious residence at 12 Tughlaq Lane in April.

This came as he was disqualified from Parliament owing to him being convicted in the Modi surname defamation case in Gujarat. Shortly after he was disqualified, the Lok Sabha Housing Committee had issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi to vacate his bungalow.

While leaving the house he had called home for two decades, Rahul Gandhi had said, “Main sach bolne ki kimat chuka raha hu (I am paying the price for speaking truth).” He further told reporters outside the bungalow, “I have no problem even if it has been snatched away from me. This house was given to me by the people of India. I will stay with the former Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) at 10, Janpath for some time and then find some other way.”

The Congress, at the time, had also written on Twitter, “This country is the home of Rahul Gandhi. Rahul who resides in the hearts of people.” Rahul whose relation with the public is unbreakable. Some see in him their son, some brother, some their leader… Rahul belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to Rahul. This is the reason why today the country is saying- Rahul ji, my house-your house.”

Rahul was allotted this Type VIII bungalow after he won the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in the 2004 general elections. Type VIII bungalows are the most sought-after residences allotted to MPs and ministers and are located in Delhi’s posh areas like Ashoka Road, Lodhi Estate, Kushak Road, Canning Lane, Tughlaq Lane etc.

Also read: Why ‘special housing’ for MPs and ministers is a common political flashpoint

Rahul moved into the sprawling bungalow after a private ‘Griha Parvesh’ was conducted and was attended only by immediate family – mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and brother-in-law Robert Vadra. A News18 report states that the house was done up by his sister and is simple and basic. It has a gym and few offices that double up as Gandhi’s work space.

As the years went by, 12 Tughlaq Road became a power centre and senior Congress leaders were often seen in and out of the residence.

Interestingly, Rahul kept a large part of his residence private; meetings and political parleys took place in his office or on the sprawling lawns.

But while Rahul may have finally found a house, his woes are far from over. The Gujarat High Court refused a plea on staying the conviction in the Modi surname case, meaning his disqualification stands. It has been said that he will appeal to the Supreme Court. But this may be a huge issue come 2024 and the Congress goes up against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the general elections.

With inputs from agencies