Rent of Congress headquarters, Sonia Gandhi's residence not paid, RTI reply reveals

New Delhi, Feb 10: Several Congress leaders including Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi has not paid rent for the properties.

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has responded to an RTI filed by activist Sujit Patel which has revealed that rent of several of these properties is pending.

The rent of the Congress party headquarters on Akbar Road has not been paid since December 2012 and there is a pending rent of Rs 12,69,902. Similarly, for Sonia Gandhi's residence on 10 Janpath Road, Rs 4,610 rent has not been paid and the last rent received was in September 2020.

Vincent George, personal secretary to Sonia Gandhi, who occupies Bungalow No. C-ll/109 in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, has pending rent dues of Rs 5,07,911, to which the last time rent was paid was in August 2013.

The housing rules allow accommodation to national and state political parties and every party is given three years' time to construct their own office following which the government bungalow will have to be vacated.

The Congress was allotted land in June 2010 on 9-A Rouse Avenue to build a party office. The Congress party was required to vacate the Akbar Road office and a couple of more bungalows by 2013. However, the grand old party has taken multiple extensions so far.

In July 2020, the government had sent an eviction notice to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to vacate her Lodhi Road accommodation within a months' time.

Taking a potshot at Sonia Gandhi, BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga alleged that the Congress leader is unable to pay as she cannot do scams. "Sonia Gandhi ji not able to pay her rent after losing elections. It is obvious because she can't do scams now but political differences aside I want to help her as a human being. I launched a campaign #SoniaGandhiReliefFund and sent Rs 10 to her account, I request everyone to help her," he said in a tweet.