For legions of Congress leaders and staff, 24, Akbar Highway is an deal with synonymous with their occasion, a white-coloured bungalow within the coronary heart of Lutyens’ Delhi that silently witnessed lots of the historic and momentous occasions within the historical past of the grand outdated occasion.
Indira Gandhi’s triumphant return to energy in 1980, her assassination and Rajiv Gandhi’s ascension as Prime Minister in 1984, the Congress’s defeat 5 years later, the P V Narasimha Rao years, the occasion’s time in political wilderness from 1996 to 2004, its resurrection underneath Sonia Gandhi’s management and its collapse in 2014, the constructing has seen the occasion’s political and electoral ups and downs over nearly 5 many years.
Come January 15, the Congress nationwide headquarters may have a brand new identify and a brand new deal with: Indira Gandhi Bhawan on 9 A, Kotla Highway. Within the making for one-and-a-half many years, the brand new headquarters of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is prepared and will probably be inaugurated a day after Makar Sankranti. Although the land allotted for the constructing is on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, the occasion determined to maintain the doorway to its six-storey headquarters on Kotla Highway to have it on the deal with as a substitute of DDU Marg.
The inspiration stone for the brand new constructing was laid by Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi as Congress president approach again in December 2009. However it took the occasion 15 years to finish the development of the constructing. Gandhi, now the Congress Parliamentary Celebration chairperson, will inaugurate the constructing accompanied by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Chief of the Opposition within the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
Named the “Indira Gandhi Bhawan”, 400 prime leaders of the occasion from throughout India are anticipated to attend the occasion, together with members of the Congress Working Committee, Everlasting and Particular Invitees, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents, Congress Legislature Celebration leaders, MPs from each the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, former Chief Ministers, ex-PCC Presidents, and former CLP Leaders and Union Ministers.
The Congress led by Indira moved into 24, Akbar Highway in 1978, a turbulent yr in Congress historical past. Indira had been defeated within the Lok Sabha elections after Emergency, the primary time the Congress was out of energy since Independence. The Congress had additionally break up and the Indira group didn’t have an workplace. It was then that MP Gaddam Venkatswamy provided his official residence — 24, Akbar Highway — to the occasion and the Congress moved in.
It was not the primary time that the Congress underneath Indira had discovered itself out of a house. She had misplaced management of the occasion workplace almost a decade earlier too. After the 1969 break up, the Indira faction didn’t have entry to 7, Jantar Mantar Highway, the Congress headquarters since Independence.
“It’s time for us to maneuver forward with the instances and embrace the brand new,” AICC common secretary (organisation) Okay C Venugopal stated on Tuesday, saying the inauguration of the brand new headquarters.
“Located at 9 A, Kotla Highway, New Delhi, the Indira Gandhi Bhawan is designed to fulfill the evolving wants of the occasion and its leaders, that includes trendy services to assist administrative, organisational, and strategic actions. This iconic constructing displays the Congress occasion’s forward-looking imaginative and prescient whereas paying homage to its extraordinary previous, which has formed the political and social material of India,” he stated.
A senior Congress chief stated the occasion wouldn’t quit the Akbar Highway bungalow and that “will probably be saved for high-profile conferences”. Places of work of all occasion leaders and office-bearers, together with that of the occasion president, will shift to the brand new constructing.
“It will likely be accomplished in a phased method and should take a few months however we’ll all shift to the brand new headquarters. The workplaces of common secretaries and different office-bearers will shift to the brand new constructing,” stated the Congress functionary.
“Just like the BJP, which has not given up its workplace in Lutyens’ Delhi on 11, Ashoka Highway, we can even retain the one on Akbar Highway and use it for high-profile conferences. However will probably be shut down for visits by occasion staff, and leaders, besides in particular instances when a gathering is scheduled,” the chief added.
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