HVK Archives: Cong. leaders may have to declare assets - MPCC
Cong. leaders may have to declare assets - MPCC - The Afternoon Despatch and Courier
Posted By Krishnakant Udavant (kkant@bom2.vsnl.net.in)
10 July 1997
Title: Cong. leaders may have to declare assets - MPCC chief's proposal
irks partymen
Author:
Publication: The Afternoon Despatch and Courier
Date: July 10, 1997
The recent announcement by the newly appointed president of the Maharashtra
Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mr. Ranjit Deshmukh, that he will be
asking partymen to declare their personal assets has irked several of his
senior party colleagues.
Most Congress leaders feel Mr Deshmukh made the announcement publicly in
excitement and without much thought.
"It is obvious that he made the announcement to lend weight to the party's
commitment to take on the Shiv Sena-BJP government on the issue of
corruption, but then it was a whimsical decision," said a Congress leader,
requesting anonymity.
Mr. Deshmukh is, however, yet to formalise his announcement into official
directive. "I will be issuing the directive within about ten days," he told
this newspaper. "We are presently in the midst of preparing the format," he
added.
Asked if his directive will be applicable to Mr. Sharad Pawar as well who
was now based in Delhi, Mr Deshmukh quipped: "Yes, of course."
However, the one Congress leader who came out in the open against his party
president's proposed move was Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal, the leader of the
opposition in the state council. "I don't believe in all this," he said
point blank.
"If anybody has any doubts about my assets and income he should ask the
income-tam department to conduct a raid on my house. It is as simple as
that," he said, adding: "How would you assess a particular declaration's
authenticity?"
Interestingly, so far only one partyman, AICC delegate from the city, Mr.
Rajiv Chavan, has declared his assets even when the directive has yet to come.
When in force, the directive will be applicable to leaders such as Mr. A.R.
Antulay, the former chief minister whose name is associated with the cement
scandal, and several other controversial leaders who may find the move
embarrassing.
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