Congress leader and former MP Udit Raj on Friday alleged that authorities forcibly evicted his family from their Pandara Park bungalow in New Delhi, despite the matter being sub-judice.
The bungalow had been allotted to his wife, Seema Raj, a retired IRS officer, who said she had paid the licence fee till May 31 this year. As of the time of writing, there has been no official response from the government regarding the eviction.
Wife Says She Was Entitled To Retain Accommodation
Reacting to the eviction, Seema Raj said her superannuation was due on November 30, and claimed that she was eligible to retain the accommodation for six more months.
“I had even paid the licence fee. My father was very ill and recently passed away. I repeatedly wrote to the Directorate of Estates to give some time to arrange for another accommodation… I even said to pay the market rent after May 30,” she told ANI.
She added that she had requested time till November-end or early December to wind up her affairs and shift elsewhere. After filing a court appeal in September, the matter was listed for hearing on October 28. “The authorities came deliberately on a day when the courts are not open,” she said.
‘Punished For Being Dalit’
Calling the eviction “harassment,” Udit Raj alleged that the action amounted to “punishment for being Dalit and a voice for the poor.”
“What difference would three or four more days make?” he asked, adding that the move was “selective” and “motivated,” targeting an opposition leader from a lower caste while “many upper-caste individuals continue to occupy government bungalows.”
‘Selective Action, No Response From Officials’
The former MP said he had tried reaching out to Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, but was unable to get a response. “No higher official is available on call. Nobody is telling me anything,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
Sharing a video on X, Raj wrote, “My household items are being thrown onto the street.”
‘Willing To Vacate, But Why The Hurry?’
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 urgency shown by authorities.
“Why is the same yardstick not applied to others who are overstaying? I will not budge from my fight for social justice,” he asserted.
