'Will abide by..' Rahul responds to Lok Sabha notice to vacate bungalow

NEW DELHI: Amid the Congress outrage over the notice given to Rahul Gandhi to vacate the government bungalow after his disqualification as a Lok Sabha member of parliament, the former MP on Tuesday said that he will abide by the direction.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat on March 27 gave notice to Rahul Gandhi to vacate the government bungalow following his disqualification as MP from Lok Sabha after he was convicted in a 2019 defamation case by Surat court for a 'Modi surname' remark. The allotment of the government bungalow will be cancelled with effect from April 24.

In a letter to Deputy Secretary, MS Branch, Lok Sabha Secretariat dated March 28, Rahul Gandhi said that he owes the happy memories of his time spent at the bungalow to the mandate of the people.

"As an elected Member of Lok Sabha over last four terms, it is the mandate of the people to which I owe the happy memories of my time spent here. Without prejudice to my rights, I will, of course, abide by the details contained in your letter," Rahul Gandhi wrote.

Congress workers have held protests in different parts of the country following the disqualification of the fomer Wayanad MP. Meanwhile, earlier today, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that Rahul Gandhi can come him or Sonia Gandhi. "They will make all attempts to weaken him (Rahul Gandhi) but if he vacates the bungalow, he'll go live with his mother or he can come to me and I'll vacate one," Kharge told ANI.

"I condemn the attitude of the government to scare, threaten and humiliate him. This isn't the way. Sometimes, we've been without a bungalow for three to four months. I received my bungalow after six months. People do this to humiliate others. I condemn such an attitude," he added.