NEW DELHI: Who owns the palatial building that houses the PCC office in Lucknow the Congress or the breakaway faction’s Pradesh unit president, Mohsina Kidwal, in her capacity as chairperson of the Jawaharlal Nehru Trust? A legal battle between the Congress and the breakaway faction cannot be ruled out over the issue, the tussle between the Congress and the breakaway faction to gain control over the party headquarters in Bhopal has already led to sealing of a portion of the building by the authorities. While Mrs. Mohsina Kidwat is said to be in possession of original papers of the building, the rivals claim that the ownership has already been transferred in the name of the Congress party. ‘The building at 10 Mall Ayenue in Lucknow was reportedly purchased by Mrs. Kidwai in an auction in 1978, Sacred of the Janata Party, which was then in power at the Center and the State, Indira Gandhi had given a green.
Signal to the top leaders to purchase the property in the name of Mrs. Kidwai, who was the Pradesh Congress Committee chief of that time. A two member trust, with Mrs, Kidwai and Mr. Ramen Verma, was. subsequently formed and entrusted’ with the ownership of the building. From where the party has been functioning since 1978. After Verma’s death the trust is said to be left with ‘only Mrs. Kidwai. The dispute has arisen in view of the split in the Congress and N.D. Tiwari claiming to be the president of the real Congress. A ware of the possibility of: a legal dispute, the UPCC headed by Jintendra Prasad a, is said to have already taken steps to ensure that the building remained, as after its transfer, in the party’s name.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 16, 1995
