Rahul Gandhi asked to vacate official residence in a month, finance bill passed amid sloganeering

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Housing Committee Monday issued a notice to Congress leader and now disqualified Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi to vacate his official residence by April 22, 2023.

"A senior official said that a disqualified Lok Sabha member has to vacate the official bungalow within one month of losing his membership. Another said that Gandhi can write to the Housing Committee seeking an extended stay, a request that can be considered by the panel," reported PTI. The notice was served to the 12, Tughlaq Lane bungalow.

He was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on March 23 over his conviction and sentencing by a local court in Surat in the 2019 defamation case over his remarks about the Modi surname. The Opposition parties protested against the move and staged a sit-in. They wore black and raised slogans about saving democracy. They also demanded that a probe committee look into the allegations about the Adani Group.

Amid sloganeering against PM Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani, the Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill on Tuesday afternoon after the Rajya Sabha cleared it with an amendment.

The key amendments in the Bill say that the government will now tax investments in debt mutual funds as short-term capital gains. This can also affect the long-term tax benefits. Credit card payments for foreign travel will now be brought under the purview of RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme to ensure tax evasion. A panel will be set up to consider changes to the New Pension System. An appellate tribunal will be set up for the resolution of disputes under GST.

After approving the Bill, the Chair adjourned the session till 11 am on Tuesday.