Did A Congress Leader Ask PM Modi To Let Priyanka Gandhi Stay In Lutyens Bungalow? Priyanka, Union Minister Spar On Twitter

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri engaged in a public spat on Tuesday (14 July) over a report that claimed that Vadra had requested Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to let her stay on in “Lutyens’ bungalow”.

The report has been published by news agency IANS, which has called it an “IANS special”.

‘PM allows Priyanka Gandhi’s request to stay on in Lutyens’ bungalow for some time’, says the report’s headline as published by Outlook.com.

“In a remarkably statesman like move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to a request to allow Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to retain the 35, Lodhi Estate Bungalow for some time. Just when people thought there is witch hunt against the erstwhile first family of Indian politics, the PM's move once again validated his large heartedness,” the report says, citing “sources close to developments”.

“Sources close to developments revealed that when the matter was brought to Modi's notice, he said that her request most certainly be accepted,” the report, that carries no quote by a Congress party member, says.

Vadra took to twitter to call it “fake news”.

“This is FAKE NEWS. I have not made any such request to the government. As per the eviction letter handed to me on the 1st of July, I will be vacating the government accommodation at 35 Lodhi Estate by the 1st of August,” she tweeted, quoting the report.

On the other hand, Union Minister for housing and urban affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, has claimed that a “powerful Congress leader” indeed requested him to see that Vadra stays on in the bungalow.

“Facts speak for themselves! A powerful Congress leader with much clout in the Party called me on 4 July 2020 at 12:05 pm to request that 35, Lodhi Estate be allotted to another INC MP so that Priyanka Vadra can stay on. Let’s not sensationalise everything please,” he wrote, quoting Vadra’s tweet.

To this, Vadra responded that she herself never made any such request even if a Congress member did, and she would be vacating the house on 1 August anyway.

“If someone called you Mr Puri, I thank them for their concern, and thank you for your consideration as well but it still does not change the facts: 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 wrote.

Puri, in turn, responded, “The leader who called me, & many others, is at the very top of the Congress hierarchy...the same political advisor who speaks and acts on your family’s behalf. It was when he requested that we decided to give a two month extension in good faith.”

IANS, meanwhile, seems to stand by its report. The agency’s verified Twitter account intervened in the public spat and, quoting Puri’s response, wrote, “PM #NarendraModi (@narendramodi) allows #PriyankaGandhi's request to stay on in Lutyens' bungalow for some time (IANS Special).”

This is a developing story.