Rahul Gandhi to make Sheila Dikshit's house his new residence-cum-office
Former Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is reportedly set to move into the house once occupied by former Delhi Chief Minister and grand old party stalwart Sheila Dikshit. Located in South Delhi's B2 Nizamuddin East, the residence is currently occupied by the late Delhi CM's son, Sandeep Dikshit, who will be shifting to a house that belongs to his aunt.
Why does this story matter?
This development comes months after Gandhi was convicted in a defamation case by a Surat court and awarded a two-year sentence. As a result, he was disqualified as an MP in March. The same month, he received a notice from the Lok Sabha, asking him to vacate his 12 Tughlaq Lane residence. Notably, Gandhi vacated his residence on April 22 in New Delhi.
Gandhi reportedly favors move to Nizamuddin property
The former Wayanad MP, who has been recently staying with his mother Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath home, is understood to favor moving into the Nizamuddin property. As per the news outlet The Indian Express, party sources also revealed that this property is among the "top preferences" of Gandhi, following leads from some of his "common contacts."
Gandhi to move after acquiring NOC
Separately, sources close to the former Congress president stated that after acquiring a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from security agencies, Gandhi will sign the lease for the three-BHK 1,500 square-foot property. However, the final call will be made only after the security approval as the top Congress leader is accorded Z-plus security, ANI reported.
Details on B2 Nizamuddin East property
The property, located just a few hundred meters away from the Dargah of 13th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya, was bought by Dikshit in 1991. She served as the Delhi CM between 1998 to 2013 and briefly as the Kerala governor in 2014. After quitting her post, Dikshit again moved into the property in 2014 and lived there until she passed away in 2019.
Know about Gandhi's ongoing legal battles
Meanwhile, the Gujarat High Court dismissed Gandhi's plea seeking to stay his conviction last Friday in the Modi surname defamation case. Labeling the conviction legal, Justice Hemant Prachchhak stated, "(Gandhi) is seeking a stay on conviction on non-existent grounds. Stay on conviction is not a rule. As many as 10 cases are pending against (Gandhi). It is needed to have purity in politics."
Gandhi earlier granted bail by Surat Sessions Court
Justice Prachchhak also stated that Veer Savarkar's grandson filed a complaint against Gandhi in the Pune court. "After Gandhi used terms against Savarkar at Cambridge. Refusal to stay conviction would not; result in injustice to the applicant. There are no reasonable grounds to stay conviction," stated the justice. Earlier, the Surat Sessions Court granted Gandhi bail in April until the disposal of his appeal.
