Priyanka Gandhi asked to vacate govt accommodation within 1 month

The government has asked Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi to vacate her government accommodation within a month as she is no longer in the list of Special Protection Group (SPG).

The government in an order, on Wednesday, said it had cancelled the government accommodation allotted to Priyanka Gandhi with the direction to vacate the house within one month.

The Ministry of Home Affairs in its June 30 communication had said Priyanka Gandhi had been assigned 'Z plus' security with the CRPF cover on the all-India basis, which didn't have any provision for allotment or retention of government accommodation.

The persons with 'Z plus' security cover were not entitled to government accommodation, it said and added, exceptions could be made only by the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA), based on security perception assessment by the MHA.

"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 records, she has accumulated Rs 3,46,677 dues as on June 30, 2020. She has been issued notice to clear dues and rent for the period till she vacates the accommodation.

Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was allotted Bangalow No 35 in south Delhi's Lodhi Estate on February 21, 1997 on security grounds as a SPG protectee.

The CCA at its meeting on December 7, 2000, reviewed the guidelines on allotment of government accommodation on security grounds and decided that in future no private person, other than SPG protectees, should be given government accommodation on security grounds.

Such allotments were to be done at the market rate, around 50 times of normal rent. "Later, in July 2003, it was decided to charge special rate of licence fee i.e. 20 times the normal rent from such persons," it said.