
NEW DELHI: Delhi is witnessing a historic shift on Wednesday as the Congress party moves to its new headquarters—Indira Gandhi Bhawan on Kotla Road.
This moment marks a significant moment in the party’s history, as exactly Forty-seven years ago, a devastated Indira Gandhi, left with only a handful of loyalists following the aftermath of the Emergency, shifted the base of the breakaway faction of Congress to a government accommodation—a Type VII bungalow on Akbar Road.
Over the years, this British-era property has witnessed the rise and fall of the Congress party. It has seen the resurrection of Congress, Indira Gandhi regaining power, the death of her son Sanjay Gandhi, her assassination, Rajiv Gandhi stepping into the Prime Minister’s office at a young age, his assassination, and Congress gradually regaining its ground in subsequent years as it led alliance governments in 1991, 2004, and 2009.
The property has a rich history of nearly 100 years. Before independence, Sir Reginald Maxwell, a member of the Viceroy Lord Linlithgow’s executive council, resided here.
In the 1960s, the bungalow also became the residence of Burma’s ambassador, where Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi spent her early teenage years. Her mother, Daw Khin Kyi, was appointed the Burmese ambassador to India.
In his book 24, Akbar Road: A Short History of the People Behind the Rise and Fall of Congress, journalist and political commentator Rasheed Kidwai details how the bungalow was chosen to become an iconic address in the national capital, and the significant events that unfolded there.
According to Kidwai, the Akbar Road property was allotted to Rajya Sabha MP G. Venkataswamy from Andhra Pradesh, who chose to stay with Indira Gandhi after the 1977 elections, when most of her colleagues had abandoned her.
Left without resources and office space, Indira decided to operate her party office from the unkempt house. “Facing the residence of the Chief of the Indian Air Force and the Intelligence Bureau’s political surveillance unit (which still exist), it comprised five barely furnished bedrooms, a living room, a dining hall, and a guest room. The outhouses were neglected, and the garden was a mess of unruly hedges and a riot of weeds,” the first chapter of Kidwai’s book reads.
Congress MP Tariq Anwar from Katihar, Bihar, who worked at 24, Akbar Road, recalls the early days: “Following the split, Congress started out with 24, Akbar Road, as a temporary office, but we stayed there.”
Anwar, who has worked with four generations of the Gandhi family, added, “Indira Gandhi used to come to the office regularly. I have worked with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi. Indiraji always gave importance to young leaders. After she became PM in 1980, as an MP, I got more opportunities to interact with her. I have seen the party's many ups and downs at 24, Akbar Road, and have numerous memories attached to the office. I will miss the old office and hope it will be a new beginning for the party.”
Kidwai’s book further notes that when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister, he expressed a desire to move the party headquarters to a modern office on Dr Rajendra Prasad Road.
However, the plan never materialised following his sudden death in 1991. In the years that followed, several additions were made to the property to accommodate growing party functionaries. Today, 24 Akbar Road has about 30 rooms, added behind the original structure.
Jai Prakash Agarwal, a former MP from Chandni Chowk and Youth Congress office-bearer, recalls his frequent visits to the headquarters: “As Congress’s fortunes improved over time, the party expanded. Many alterations took place at the property. The main building houses the office of the Congress President and senior functionaries. Rooms at the back are now allotted to other office-bearers.”
On Wednesday, the new party office at Kotla Road will be inaugurated in the presence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and other senior leaders.
The premises on Kotla Road will serve as the central party office, while the old address in Lutyens' Delhi will be used for affiliated units and high-profile meetings.