Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s departure from her residence of years, 35 Lodhi Estate, is bound to be an emotional one. She shifted here after her marriage in February 1997 and both her children were born here.
Ahead of vacating her years-long home, the Congress general secretary invited BJP MP Anil Baluni and his wife for tea. Gandhi put out a tweet saying that she has spoken to them and wished their stay was as filled with happiness as hers was with her family.
Gandhi has been asked to vacate the bungalow after she lost her Special Protection Group (SPG) cover. She will move to a house in Gurgaon for a short period before shifting back to rented apartment in Delhi after completing formalities.
35 Lodhi estate is a relatively small accommodation under C category, but is located in one of the prime locations in Delhi's Lutyens’ zone.
Simply done up, the pride of place is the garden which sources say Gandhi herself has tended to as she is fond of gardening. In fact, she put up a picture of her planting plants in her garden on social media recently. She has planted a lemon tree which she is very fond of and has several memories with it.
Sources say she had furnished the home very simply but her prized possession is the many pictures taken by her father and late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi who was very fond of photography. These pictures dominate the walls of her home which she is to vacate soon.
Just outside her home lives a family whom she meets on her way out and, in fact, sources say she helps them financially.
Her invitation to Baluni and his wife is seen as a goodwill gesture to ensure that her vacating the house is not seen as a bitter parting.
Vadra was involved in a Twitter spat with Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently when he said a senior Congress leader had called him to request extension for Priyanka’s stay in the house. She replied saying she will shift out on the date she was expected to, i.e., 1 August.
Baluni was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai for treatment of cancer and he is now back home. He would soon to shift to Vadra’s home of years.
Sources said, Baluni has also extended an invitation to Gandhi and her family for an 'Uttarakhand meal' once he shifts into his new house.
A PTI report said the BJP MP invited Gandhi for a meal comprising cuisines of Uttarakhand like 'Manduwe ki roti', 'Jhangore ki kheer', 'Pahadi raita' and 'Bhatt ki churkani', while thanking the Congress leader for her gesture.
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