APJ Abdul Kalam's nephew quits BJP over refusal to turn bungalow into memorial

The nephew of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Haja Syed Ibrahim, on 23 November, quit the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). According to reports, Ibrahim was upset with the central government for refusing to turn Kalam's 10 Rajaji Marg bungalow in Delhi into a memorial for the former President who passed away in July this year.

Ibrahim is the son of one of Kalam's elder brothers. APJ Sheikh Salim, another of Kalam's nephews, had joined the BJP in September this year.

After serving his term as President, Kalam was allotted the bungalow at 10 Rajaji Marg in 2007. In October this year, the allotment of his bungalow to Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma in October had led to a row.

A petition titled "Don't Insult Dr Abdul Kalam! Make his Delhi home a knowledge centre" was initiated on Change.org by Bhagwan Singh. The petition garnered thousands of votes in a short period.

The Aam Aadmi Party had also criticised the central government over the allotment of bungalow to Mahesh Sharma. However, the government issued a statement saying it was done under the Minister's Residence Rules, 1962 and that a complete ban on conversion of government bungalows was imposed by the government on 18 October, 2014.