UP man stakes claim to Congress HQ
A businessman has submitted documents to municipal authorities claiming that the Nehru Bhavan belongs to his grandfather, who bought in an auction.
Lucknow: Before one trouble is over, another is ready to knock on the door. The beleaguered Congress in Uttar Pradesh is facing fresh trouble after a local businessman has claimed that the sprawling Nehru Bhavan that houses the state headquarters of the party belongs to his family. He has demanded that the building should be handed back to his family.
Manish Agarwal, a businessman from Gomti Nagar area in Lucknow, has submitted documents to the Lucknow municipal authorities claiming that the building belongs to his grandfather, late Ram Swaroop Agarwal, who bought it in an auction. He alleged that the building was illegally transferred to the Congress.
“My grandfather bought the building in an auction by the rehabilitation ministry on April 2, 1961. He paid Rs 1.75 lakh. During the Chandrabhan Gupta’s tenure as chief minister, one room was rented out to the Congress. The property was in the name of my family till 1976. Records after that show the name of Mohsina Kidwai, who was then the caretaker of Congress(I) and also the state unit president” Mr Agarwal told reporters.
The businessman further said that he will approach court once mutation is done and name of his family members are added to the records.
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation has issued a notice to the UP Congress chief and sought a reply.
Meanwhile, UP Congress spokesperson Satyadev Tripathi said, “We are operating from this office for last 38 years and this claim seems absurd. The building was bought in an auction between 1977 and 1979 when Mohsina Kidwai was Congress state chief. The claims by the Agarwal family are spurred by vested interests. Why did they keep quiet for so long?”