Congress leader and former MP Udit Raj alleged on Friday that his family was forcibly evicted from their Pandara Park bungalow in New Delhi, even though the case is still sub-judice.
The government has yet to respond to the eviction claims.
The bungalow is allotted to Udit Raj’s wife, Seema Raj, a retired IRS officer, who stated that she had paid the licence fee up to 31 May this year.
Speaking to PTI Videos, the Congress leader said, “You can see the belongings being thrown out of the house. The matter is sub-judice, and the next hearing is on 28 October. What difference would three or four more days make?”
He said he would follow the court’s decision, but the “harassment” is “punishment” for being Dalit and a poor person’s voice.
He alleged that the action was “selective” and “motivated”, targeting an opposition leader from a lower caste while “many upper-caste individuals continue to occupy government bungalows”.
“I tried contacting (Union minister) Manohar Lal Khattar, but he could not be reached. No higher official is available on call. Nobody is telling me anything,” Raj said.
He termed the action an “atrocity” and said he would take up the matter further with his party leadership.
Raj shared a video on X and wrote, “My household items are being thrown onto the street.”
Seema Raj said she had asked for time till November-end or early December to wind up her affairs and find another place.
“A superannuated officer can retain government accommodation for six months without any hassle. After that, I requested the Directorate of Estates to extend my stay as my father was critically ill. He has recently passed away,” she said.
The retired officer alleged that an eviction notice was issued despite the hearing scheduled for just a few days later. “They came to evict us during the court holiday so that we can’t go to court and take legal recourse,” she said.
On Thursday, Udit Raj said on X that officers from the Directorate of Estates visited his residence and informed them about the eviction scheduled for Friday.
Raj, who represented North West Delhi in the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019 as a BJP MP before joining the Congress, said he was “willing to vacate” soon but questioned the “hurry” shown by the authorities.
I will not budge from my fight for social justice.
They came to evict us during court holiday so that we can’t go to court and take legal recourse.
“Why is the same yardstick not applied to others who are overstaying? I will not budge from my fight for social justice,” he said.
