Congress asked to vacate 24 Akbar Road HQ, party cries suppression of voice

New Delhi: The government has issued a notice to the Congress party asking it to vacate its headquarters at 24, Akbar Road by Saturday, party sources said, adding that a formal notice has been issued by the concerned authorities.

According to sources, the Estates Department has served a notice to the Indian National Congress, asking it to vacate the premises, which has functioned as the party’s central office for nearly five decades.

Congress, however, has said that it is an attempt by the government to “suppress the voice” of the party.

Speaking to IANS, Congress MP Imran Masood said, “Were 11 Ashok Road (BJP Office) and 14 Pant Marg (Delhi BJP office) vacated? Were other bungalows also vacated? In the name of vacating this bungalow, an attempt is being made to suppress the voice of the Congress, but Congress will neither be silenced nor can be bowed down.”

He said the government has put the entire country in a grave situation by not remaining non-aligned with world powers.

The bungalow at 24, Akbar Road, served as the Congress headquarters for 48 years. Although the party inaugurated its new headquarters, Indira Bhavan, at Kotla Marg last year, activities have continued at the Akbar Road premises, which have not yet been vacated.

In addition, the party has also been asked to vacate the Indian Youth Congress office located at 5, Raisina Road. Party sources indicated that the Congress party is exploring legal options in a bid to seek relief in the matter.

When Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the new headquarters last year, several senior leaders had acknowledged their deep emotional attachment to the Akbar Road office, highlighting its significance in the party’s political journey.

The bungalow itself carries a long and layered history. During the British era, it was the residence of Sir Reginald Maxwell, a member of Viceroy Lord Linlithgow’s Executive Council.

In the early 1960s, the property served as the residence of Daw Khin Kyi, Myanmar’s Ambassador to India. Her daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, who would later be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, spent several years living in the same house.

However, the most significant phase in the bungalow’s history began in the late 1970s. Following the Congress party’s defeat in the 1977 general elections and the subsequent split within the party, Indira Gandhi led a breakaway faction that required a new base of operations. Rajya Sabha MP G. Venkatswamy, a close associate of Indira Gandhi, offered his Akbar Road residence for the purpose.

From that point onwards, the bungalow became synonymous with the Congress party’s resurgence and political journey. It continued to serve as the party headquarters through the tenures of Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi, P. V. Narasimha Rao, and Manmohan Singh.

Over the years, the premises were expanded to accommodate the growing organisational needs until the Congress eventually established its new headquarters at Kotla Marg.

IANS