Amit Shah's assets grow 3 times in 7 years to Rs 38.81 cr, poll affidavit shows
Gandhinagar, Mar 30: The affidavit filed Saturday by BJP chief Amit Shah while submitting his nomination papers for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat showed that his assets had grown over three times in the last seven years.
According to the affidavit, the movable and immovable properties of Shah and his wife stood at Rs 38.81 crore, up from Rs 11.79 crore in 2012.
The Rs 38.81 crore figure included inherited property, both movable and immovable, of Rs 23.45 crore, the affidavit states.
While Shah had Rs 20,633 cash in hand at the time of filing the papers, his wife possessed Rs 72,578.
As per the affidavit, Shah and his wife had Rs 27.80 lakh in several savings accounts, and fixed deposits of Rs 9.80 lakh.
Shah and his wife have a cumulative income of Rs 2.84 crore as per their latest Income Tax Returns (ITR).
Shah's affidavit mentions his sources of income as salary received as Rajya Sabha MP, rent on properties and income from agricultural activity.
In 2017, when Shah contested the Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat, he had declared assets worth Rs 34.31 crore. The latest affidavit, thus, puts the rise in his assets at Rs 4.5 crore since 2017.
While fighting the 2012 Assembly polls, Shah had declared that he along with his family, including wife Sonalben and son Jay (who was a dependent at the time), owned movable and immovable assets worth Rs 11.79 crore.
In Saturday's affidavit, Shah has mentioned that he and his wife's annual incomes, as per ITR of 2017-18, stood at Rs 2.84 crore, which comprised Rs 53.90 lakh for Shah and Rs 2.30 crore for Sonalben.
The income of Shah's wife more than doubled in a year as her 2016-17 ITR placed her annual income at Rs 1.05 crore.
Shah's income as per his 2016-17 ITR was Rs 43.68 lakh.
The affidavit goes on to inform that the BJP chief and his wife do not own a car.
It also stated that Shah had not pursued his Bachelor of Commerce degree beyond the second year.
Shah has further declared that though four criminal cases were pending against him, he has not been convicted in any of them.
These four pending cases against Shah comprise two each registered in West Bengal and Bihar.
The first one was registered in West Bengal over an inflammatory speech during the municipality polls this year.
The second, pending before a metropolitan magistrate in Kolkata, was a defamation suit.
The third, registered in Muzaffarpur in Bihar in 2017, was regarding a YouTube video showing Shah hoisting the national flag while wearing shoes.
The fourth case was registered in Begusarai in Bihar in 2015 for making some remarks against Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, the affidavit said.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
