Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Congress faces imminent eviction from its long-held national address at 24, Akbar Road, an exit that could end its presence in Lutyens’ zone. Party functionaries said an eviction notice for its headquarters, which it has been occupying since 1978, was delivered a few days ago. A second notice targets the Indian Youth Congress headquarters on 5, Raisina Road. The deadline for vacating both premises is March 28. To prevent forcible eviction, the Congress plans to approach court.Lutyens’ eviction notice: Congress may move court While Congress moved into its new headquarters Indira Bhavan, near ITO, some time ago, it held on to its earlier office at the Akbar Road.Congress MP and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi said, “This is illegal and politically motivated, and all legal recourses would be taken against the notices.”A senior party manager said: “We would want to retain both the addresses. It’s part of our story.” Congress functionaries said the address gave Congress a central presence and want to retain association with its nationally known address, considered part of Congress’s legacy.Congress has been paying market rent for the sprawling bungalow on Akbar Road.After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a leader said, there was an attempt to get the bungalow allotted to one of the senior Congress parliamentarians but it did not fructify.The functionaries said the Youth Congress bungalow, too, was allotted in the Congress name for the party’s frontal organisation.
