Hyderabad, Sep 2 (IANS) Facing questions about his wealth in the wake of Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu Friday declared his assets and those of his family members.
Naidu told a news conference that if anybody proves that he and his family members own assets other than what he declared, he would hand them over on a platter.
He revealed that the family members own assets worth Rs.39.88 crore. He, however, has assets of only Rs.40 lakh in his name.
Naidu’s son Lokesh has assets of Rs.6.73 crore while the assets in the name of his daughter-in-law Brahmini are valued at Rs.3.22 crore.
Interestingly, Naidu and family had declared assets worth Rs.68 crore in 2009, and about Rs.21 crore in 2004.
The former chief minister Friday said the value of the assets declared by him was at the time of investment. He clarified that he is not giving the present market value of the assets as the market price fluctuates.
The TDP chief, who was chief minister from 1995 to 2004, said his family has 48 percent equity in Heritage company. He also clarified that the company has debts of Rs.98 crore.
Naidu said he has a house in his name, the value of which at the time of construction was Rs.23.2 lakh. His wife Bhuvaneswari owns a building over 650 square yards of land at Punjagutta in Hyderabad and also has five acre of cultivable land at Madinaguda in Sherilingampalli on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Naidu declared the assets as pressure was mounting on him from various quarters to do so. The leader of opposition in the state assembly, who participated in the anti-graft protests, was facing questions both from his political rivals and allies like Communist Party of India-Marxist leader B.V. Raghavulu.
He was also facing questions about his assets in the wake of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged illegal assets of YSR Congress party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and into the Emaar deal.
YSR Congress party is demanding a CBI probe against Naidu as it was his government which allotted lands to Dubai-based Emaar for its realty projects in Hyderabad.
Naidu’s rivals also alleged that he had only two acres of land before he became chief minister but later amassed wealth running into thousands of crores of rupees. They also claimed that Naidu owns a hotel in Singapore.
