Uttar Pradesh Congress fighting out to save its State party headquarters Nehru Bhawan, has to face another salvo from the Yogi Adityanath Government when the Amethi district authorities have ordered Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, headed by party president Sonia Gandhi, to vacate its office in Amethi saying the Trust has “illegally” occupied the land.
The party is already facing problem when the lucknow Nagar Nigam has issued notice to the party to prove its ownership of the Nehru Bhawan after some person made his claim on the property and even submitted relevant papers.
But the recent matter of Amethi gives the Congress another set back.The land in question is over 1.0360 hectares of area in Jais in Amethi where Manuj Kalyan Kendra in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana, an off-shoot of Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust operates its operation.
On August 4 last, Trust had been issued notice asking it to vacate the land and stop any operation. The SDM (Tiloi) Ashok Kumar Shukla has asked Tehsildar to get the land vacated and hand it over to the rightful owner.
The notice however did not elaborate as who is the rightful owner. The officials say it is a Government land but are not able to tell exactly to which department this land belongs to it. “The land belongs to the State for running a vocational training centre for women but the Trust was running a centre without proper authorization,” said Shukla. He said that the land was meant for community facilities like opening health centres, community centres or schools. But the Trust was operating a vocation training course in collaboration with an NGO illegally.
“Order has been issued and the Tehsildar has been asked to remove all illegal possessions as the land should be under control of a government department or institution as per rules,” he said.
Shukla said the land was earmarked in 1982 for vocational training for women by the then district magistrate but while the Trust started work on the land under the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna, there has been no transfer of land.
Other officials in Amethi admit that Trust was running its operation from that area for the last 13 years. This was known to all and even officials and ministers in the state as well as Union governments had attended many functions held at the compound of the Trust in last decade and a half. No questions were raised that time about the ownership of land.
The controversy started after Union Textile and IB Minister Smriti Irani lost last lok Sabha election from Amethi in 2014. She had lodged a complaint about misuse of the government land by the Rajiv Gandhi trust. Administration did not take note of her complaint in last three years.
When BJP came to power in UP she again lodged complain and this time to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Yogi was sworn in as Chief Minister on March 19 and between March and May this year three notices were issued asking the Trust to prove its ownership. The Trust did issue a reply on April 27 saying they are operating on that land for 13 years without any hindrance.
The notice has infuriated Congress leaders as its spokesman Amarnath Agarwal says that it is a planned strategy to harass Congress leaders. You can see a clear trend in Uttar Pradesh. From nowhere a man comes and claims ownership of Nehru Bhawan and now government has asked Rajiv Gandhi trust to vacate land in Amethi.
“Yogi government is trying to intimidate us and is using some officials who are his Rs bhakt’ to issue irrational orders. The Congress will oppose such orders tooth and nail,” Agarwal said.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the Trust and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who represents Amethi in lok Sabha, is one of the trustees.