New Delhi: Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has been allotted the bungalow of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a move severely criticised by AAP, which said Centre has “insulted” the late President by not converting his residence into a ‘Knowledge Centre’.
Kalam was staying at 10 Rajaji Marg residence in Lutyen’s zone after his eventful term as President ended in 2007. “I have been allocated 10 Rajaji Marg by the Urban Development Ministry and I have accepted the offer,” said Sharma, who has been staying at his private residence in Sector 15 Noida on Delhi’s outskirts.
Asked about the demand from friends and supporters of Kalam to convert the Rajaji Marg residence into a memorial, Sharma said, “It is the government's policy not to convert any Lutyen's bungalow into a memorial."
The former President's house has to be vacated by October 31, 2015 and his belongings, which includes numerous books and his Veena, have been shifted out to his home town Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu.
