The Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, has been served a notice over the use of its 10,000 sq meter land. According to the district administration, the trust was never given the land that it uses for vocational training for women. The trust management has been asked to furnish documents about the land use.

“During consolidation, certain land is set aside for common public facilities like schools, health, etc. In this case, this land was set aside for a girls’ college,” Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ashok Shukla told The Indian Express. “In 1982, through a letter to sub-divisional magistrate by district collector of Rae Bareli, the land was set aside for vocational training institute to provide job-oriented training.”

He said there were no document available to show under whose authority the land was being used by the trust. “If their reply is not satisfactory, then we would send them final notice and start the process of taking the land back,” Shukla said.

The Congress said their legal team was looking into the matter. Congress president and Rae Bareli MP Sonia Gandhi’s local representative KL Sharma said the land was initially given to Thakur Das Trust in 1984.

“The land was lying vacant and thus after the formation of Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, it was decided to use it to provide vocational training to women and girls in collaboration of the existing trust.’’ Sharma said. “The government is biased. Why are questions being asked after 35 years?’’

The Bharatiya Janata Party said they had flagged this a year ago when they lodged a complaint about it. The party’s spokesperson for their Amethi unit accused the previous Samajwadi Party government of inaction in the matter.

Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the trust while Rahul Gandhi is a trustee.