The Hindu : National : Shekhawat, wife declare assets

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Saturday, Jul 14, 2007
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National

Shekhawat, wife declare assets

Gargi Parsai

Vajpayee, Fernandes make joint appeal

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat

NEW DELHI: In an attempt to gain the moral high ground, NDA’s Presidential nominee Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Friday declared his assets and liabilities that showed his wife Suraj Kanwar as better off than him.

Mr. Shekhawat declared a bank balance of Rs.25.6 lakh and Rs.1 lakh cash in hand. His wife has Rs.25.86 lakh in fixed deposits, Rs.1.25 lakh in cash and Rs.5,849 in savings bank.

Separately, NDA chairperson Atal Bihari Vajpayee and convener George Fernandes made a joint appeal to the members of Parliament and legislative assemblies to support Mr. Shekhawat. In a letter, both the leaders charged the ruling United Progressive Alliance-Left with having failed “miserably” in evolving a consensus through dialogue and said that they “merely wanted to impose their choice on us.”

They said that the NDA decided to back Mr. Shekhawat after due and careful consideration. “The UPA has put up Pratibha Patil. It is this decision which has made this election unusual, extraordinary and extremely important for the future of our democracy,” the letter said.

Sharing the contents of the joint appeal and Mr. Shekhawat’s assets declaration at a press conference here, Mr. Shekhawat’s spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said there is no demand from their side that Ms. Patil do likewise. “Even though there was no legal requirement or directive from the Election Commission, Mr. Shekhawat has declared his assets because of probity in public life, and what he believes, is the electorate’s right to information. If Ms. Patil wants to do the same, the country will welcome it.”

The three-page self-declared statement, which is on the lines of the one for MPs and MLAs, says that Mr. Shekhawat had jewellery worth Rs.1 lakh on March 31, 2007, while his wife owned gold jewellery worth Rs.5.25 lakh and silver utensils valued at Rs. 3.9 lakh on the same date. He owns an Army-disposed jeep. She has a second-hand Ambassador car of 1980 make.

Mr. Shekhawat owns 0.99 hectares of agricultural land, while his wife has 6.28 hectares in Chomu district of Jaipur. Ms. Suraj Kanwar owns a 1000-square yard plot in Jaipur that is currently valued at Rs.1.54 crore. There are two disputed properties —one a 22 bigha-land in Beed tehsil and a 650-square yard plot in the Civil Lines purchased at Rs.7.60 lakh in 1995, currently valued at Rs.55 lakh. Both husband and wife owe no dues to public financial institutions or any government department, says the declaration.

Mr. Shekhawat made the declaration after the Election Commission rejected BJP leader L.K. Advani’s appeal seeking direction that Presidential candidates be asked to declare their assets.

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