Congress 24 Akbar Road Headquarters (Image/PTI)

New Delhi: The Congress party on Wednesday received a vacation notice from its long-standing national headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, directing it to vacate the premises by March 28. Reacting to the notice, Congress alleged that the ruling BJP government was trying to divert public attention from the ongoing war in Iran.Party leader Imran Masood said, “The government thinks it can silence the Congress by putting pressure on us. They should not try to intimidate us. Have they got the BJP office at 11, Ashok Road or Pant Marg? Since they have not been able to do anything regarding the Iran war, they are trying to divert attention from the issue.”Pramod Tiwari also criticized this step and called it undemocratic. He said, “The BJP government is not a democratic government. It is unfortunate. Let the notice reach us. We will take action on it after discussion.”Responding to the notice, Karti P Chidambaram said, “If they want to apply this principle to the Congress party, it should be applied to all other political parties. It cannot be one-sided.”The Congress has occupied the Akbar Road bungalow since 1978, making it an iconic address in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi.Party officials said the expulsion notice was given a few days ago. The second notice has been issued for the Indian Youth Congress Headquarters located at 5, Raisina Road. With both deadlines set for March 28, Congress has indicated plans to approach the court to stop the forced eviction. Congress MP and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi described the eviction notice as “illegal and politically motivated”. While the party has shifted to its new headquarters, Indira Bhawan near ITO, it has retained its office on Akbar Road.