Will Rahul Gandhi get his 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow back?

In April, Rahul Gandhi vacated his official 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi. The development came after Rahul was disqualified from the Lok Sabha for his conviction in a 2019 defamation case. Now, with the Supreme Court putting a stay on Rahul’s conviction, the Congress leader has been reinstated to the Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha Secretariat restores membership of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi after the Supreme Court on Friday (August 4) stayed his conviction in the ‘Modi’ surname remark case.

He was disqualified from the lower house in March 2023. pic.twitter.com/UBE3FvCGEN

— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2023

Rahul represents Wayanad (in Kerala) in the Lower House. The question that some are now asking – will Rahul get his bungalow back? Let’s take a closer look: According to NDTV, to get his Tughlaq Lane bungalow back, Rahul will need to reapply to the parliamentary housing committee. The bungalow is yet to be given to anyone. NDTV reported that senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary told the Lok Sabha housing committee he wanted to apply on Rahul’s behalf but was told that only Rahul could apply for it under the rules.

Sources told the Hindustan Times that Rahul, after he applies, would be given the bungalow back again.

More from Explainers

Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar Giorgio Armani will: Who will get the inheritance? What happens to his fashion empire?

Hindustan Times also reported that Rahul had been living in the bungalow in the National Capital since 2005. According to the newspaper, Rahul vacated the bungalow on 22 April after the court gave him a two-year sentence. A punishment for two years and above automatically disqualifies a lawmaker from Parliament. According to the newspaper, MPs can retain their official residences for a month after being disqualified. Rahul was convicted in a case brought by a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over 2019 comments deemed insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others with the same name, including the lawmaker. Rahul at an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka had said, “Why do all the thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi as the common surname?” A  BJP MLA from Surat, Purnesh Modi, had filed criminal defamation suit against Rahul over the remark. Rahul on 23 March was given a two-year prison term by a Surat metropolitan court which found him guilty of defamation but granted him bail. The Supreme Court last week suspended the conviction, allowing Rahul to return to parliament and contest a general election due next year.

Rahul has sought to overturn the conviction but his challenge has yet to be heard by a lower court.

Rahul, at the time he vacated the bungalow, claimed he was paying the price for speaking the truth. He vowed to continue to raise people’s issues. “I have paid the price for speaking the truth, I am ready to pay any price,” Rahul said. He added that he would continue to raise issues of price rise and corruption with double the force. Rahul had shifted to his mother Sonia Gandhi’s residence at 10 Janpath. Rahul Gandhi on Monday changed his Twitter bio to ‘Member of Parliament’ from the earlier “Dis’Qualified MP” description. His Twitter bio now describes him as a member of the Indian National Congress and Member of Parliament. Soon after the move, Rahul reached Parliament House and offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue. Rahul also attended Lok Sabha proceedings after it resumed at noon but it got adjourned within minutes. He was accorded a warm welcome by Congress and other opposition MPs on his arrival in Parliament. Congress celebrates, BJP says ‘temporary relief’ Senior Congress leaders and party workers on Monday hailed Rahul Gandhi’s reinstatement as a Lok Sabha MP, saying it is a victory for truth and justice. As soon as the Lok Sabha membership of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was restored on Monday, celebrations broke out at the AICC headquarters here with workers dancing and raising slogans in favour of Rahul. Reacting to the development, Congress’ deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said, “Truth has triumphed, and lies has been defeated. INDIA has won, our lion Rahul Gandhi has won, Modi Ji, your defeat has begun.” In a tweet, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, “With enormous relief, welcome the official announcement of @RahulGandhi’s reinstatement. He can now resume his duties in the Lok Sabha to serve the people of India and his constituents in Wayanad. A victory for justice and for our democracy!” Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi also hailed Gandhi’s reinstatement as Lok Sabha MP. But BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday said the reinstatement of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership is a temporary relief to the Congress leader till the matter is finally settled. Asked about it, Surya told PTI, “This is a temporary relief till the final hearing takes place and matter is finally settled. As a consequence of this interim order of the Supreme Court, Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership has been temporarily reinstated.” “If the Supreme Court upholds the conviction of the Gujarat HC, then naturally Rahul Gandhi’s membership will stand cancelled another time. As long as it exists, he may be happy with that,” said Surya, who is the Lok Sabha member from Bengaluru South. With inputs from agencies