New Delhi, March 25: The Estate Department has issued a formal notice to the Congress party directing it to vacate its long-held office at 24 Akbar Road by March 28, party sources confirmed on Wednesday.
The Akbar Road bungalow, which functioned as the Congress headquarters for 48 years, continues to witness party activity despite the inauguration of the party’s new central office, Indira Bhavan, at Kotla Marg last year. The premises, however, have not yet been vacated by the party.
The notice comes amid heightened political exchanges between the Congress and the government. Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi-led government over its reported plan to amend the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, accusing it of taking a “U-turn” and employing women’s reservation as a “Weapon of Mass Diversion.”
Ramesh alleged that the move was aimed at shifting attention from what he described as major national concerns, including foreign policy challenges, and the ongoing LPG and energy crises in the backdrop of escalating tensions in West Asia.
In a post on X, he recalled that the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023, which guarantees one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was originally linked to the completion of a nationwide census and a fresh delimitation exercise.
“In September 2023, the new Parliament House was inaugurated by the passage of the Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023… Both these reservations were to become operational after the delimitation and census exercises would get completed,” Ramesh wrote.
He further pointed out that the Congress had demanded immediate implementation of women’s reservation ahead of the 2024 general elections — a proposal rejected by the government at the time.
“Now the U-turn Ustad has, after 30 months, suddenly changed his mind and wants to implement the reservations without completing the delimitation and census operations,” he added.
The Congress has not yet formally responded to the notice served by the Estate Department. It remains unclear whether the party will seek an extension or vacate the premises by the stipulated deadline.
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