If reports are to be believed, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi has been allotted a new residence on Sunehri Bagh Road in New Delhi. Although no official confirmation has been made, his sister Priyanka Gandhi was spotted leaving bungalow number 5 at Sunehri Bagh in Lutyens' Delhi.
Following his disqualification as an MP last year after a Surat court convicted him in a criminal defamation case, Rahul Gandhi had to vacate his 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow. Although he received acquittal from the Supreme Court, Gandhi did not go back to his old residence. As per reports, he has been staying with his mother, Sonia Gandhi, at her 10 Janpath residence. Disqualified MPs are not entitled to government accommodation and are given a month to vacate their official residences. However, his status was reinstated by the Supreme Court, allowing him to return to the same bungalow.
“Mera ghar pura Hindustan hai (The whole country is my home),” Gandhi had remarked when asked about his reallocation to the 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow.
Reports indicate that the Centre has offered the bungalow on Sunehri Bagh to the Congress leader.
On July 26, Gandhi appeared before an MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, for a defamation case. He dismissed the charges as an attempt at "cheap publicity." Represented by his lawyer, Kashi Prasad Shukla, Gandhi reiterated that he never made any statements that could warrant a defamation case.
The defamation case, filed by local BJP leader Vijay Mishra on August 4, 2018, alleges that Gandhi made derogatory remarks against Amit Shah, then BJP president and current Home Minister. The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 12, when the petitioner’s statement will be recorded.