Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday engaged in a war of words with the Modi government over a proposal to allow her to extend her stay in the Lutyen’s Zone bungalow that she has been asked to vacate by August 1.
As Priyanka called reports of her being granted an extended stay in the 35, Lodhi Estate bungalow “fake news”, Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri called her out saying a two-month extension was granted at the behest of a “powerful Congress leader” who enjoyed much clout in the party.
“Would only request you to first sort out these issues within your own party before venting out in public. Streak of entitlement and playing victim don’t go well together,” Puri said on Twitter.
He said the Congress leader had called him on July 4 with a request to allot 35, Lodhi Estate bungalow to another Congress parliamentarian so that Priyanka could continue to stay there.
Priyanka hit back at Puri insisting that she had made no such request and would be vacating the bungalow by August 1.
“I have made no such request, and I am making no such request. As I said, I will be vacating the house by the 1st of August as required in the eviction letter," she said referring to the bungalow she had been staying since 1997 but was asked to vacate earlier this month following the withdrawal of SPG security.
Puri hit back saying that the Congress leader who had called him was “at the very top of the Congress hierarchy” and a “political advisor who speaks and acts on your family’s behalf”, but stopped short of naming the person.
“It was when he requested that we decided to give a two month extension in good faith,” Puri added.
Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, remarked that the Congress leader had called Puri after he was ordered to do so by the “high command”.
Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala hit out at Puri saying she needed “no favours from your ilk” and asked him to “stop bragging unwarrantedly”.
Surjewala also wondered whether the bungalow was allotted to a Congress MP or a BJP spokesperson.