Despite being a first-time MP, Karan Bhushan Singh has landed one of Lutyens’ Delhi’s most coveted government bungalows – Type VIII, typically given to senior officials, lawmakers or ministers.
Adding to the twist is the fact that the bungalow and its nameplate are still visibly associated with his father, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh – the six-term BJP MP who officially lived there until 2024, before being denied a ticket by the party amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment. His son had contested in his place from UP’s Kaiserganj on a BJP ticket and had won the election.
But Brij Bhushan never vacated the Bungalow No. 21 on Ashoka Road, which is an eight-room Lutyens’ property with staff quarters and a sprawling three-acre compound, claimed a member of his staff, and it was quietly reallotted to 34-year-old Karan.
A Lok Sabha MP can retain a government residence for one month after the expiry of their term or disqualification. For instance, on March 23, 2023, after the Surat High Court convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, his Lok Sabha membership was terminated and he was given a month’s time to vacate the house – he vacated it on April 14.
It depends on who you ask
First-time MPs are traditionally allotted flats in Sindhu or Narmada Apartments or, at most, a Type V or Type VI bungalow. Take Ram Mohan Naidu, for instance – a three-term MP from the TDP who recently became the Union Aviation Minister. He has lived for years in a standard four-bedroom flat in Sindhu Apartments, the usual accommodation for MPs. Only after becoming a Cabinet minister was he allotted a Type VIII bungalow which he is yet to move into.
There’s no definitive proof that rules were broken in the allotment to Karan Bhushan Singh. There are just some uncomfortable questions which no one is answering.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat’s Joint Secretary, Dheeraj Kumar, claimed the bungalow falls outside their jurisdiction. Instead, he pointed to the Directorate of Estates, under the Ministry of Urban Development. But an official in the Directorate claimed the bungalow had been transferred to the Lok Sabha Housing Committee for allocation.
The Lok Sabha Housing Committee, currently chaired by former Union minister and Gautam Buddha Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma (himself living in a Type VI bungalow), oversees accommodation for MPs. But unlike the Rajya Sabha’s housing guidelines, the criteria used by this committee are not publicly disclosed, according to Kumar who called it an “internal matter.”
However, JDU MP Dinesh Chandra Yadav, a member of the housing panel, claimed that allotments are based on seniority – first-timers usually get apartments or a Type V unit. The final say, he said, rests with the committee chairman.
Meanwhile, according to a policy stated in an office memorandum from April 2012 seen by Newslaundry, allotments of type VIII bungalows are usually made by the Union Urban Development Minister, based on the “functional necessity” of the post” and the “urgency” of the requirement. If that’s the case here, the order would have come from Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. If not, then it was likely signed off by Mahesh Sharma.
Newslaundry sent queries to both Sharma and Khattar. Neither responded. Karan Bhushan Singh and Brij Bhushan Singh are yet to respond to requests for comment. This copy will be updated if they do.
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