His grandfather’s house

When Rahul Gandhi denounced the controversial ordinance on convicted politicians that had been mooted by his Congress party, calling it "complete nonsense” and stating that it should "be torn up and thrown away,” he caused major embarrassment to the government. During a brief appearance at Delhi’s Press Club on the same day, September 27, 2013, he was surprised to learn that the Club was housed in a bungalow that had once been the official residence of his grandfather, Feroze Gandhi when the latter was a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP), reveals Arati R. Jerath in her column "Power Talk” which appeared in the Afternoon Despatch and Courier (ADC) on October 2, 2013.

(Top): Delhi’ s Press Club; (above): Feroze and Rahul Gandhi

Rahul reportedly turned to the Club officer escorting him, stopped in his tracks and looked around with interest. He learnt that the premises had been allotted to Feroze during his tenure as MP from Rae Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh from 1952 until his demise in 1960. Senior journalists recalled that Feroze opened up his house to the media when those who knew him complained that they had no place to relax in between sittings of Parliament and Press briefings. Since his bungalow was located in the hub of political activity, Feroze invited presspersons to drop in whenever they wished. Jerath reveals that Feroze loved to talk shop and would regale the correspondents with "anecdotes and witticisms.” After his death, it was decided by the powers that be that the bungalow should house the Press Club which had been formed in 1958.