The Hindu : Punjab Minister admits using multiple identities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 25, 2003

National

National

Punjab Minister admits using multiple identities

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH JULY 24. Punjab's Minister of State for Co-operation and Transport, Ramesh Dutt Sharma, today admitted using multiple identities for various purposes, including receiving land on lease and bank loans.

Mr. Sharma told a press conference here today that he had produced the records related to the allegations before the Chief Minister, who, according to him, did not feel it necessary to accept his offer to quit.

He said the allegations were made because he was the only ``Hindu'' to have won the Assembly seat of Anandpur Sahib.

On allegations of grabbing land belonging to the Wakf Board and securing a bank loan for the same, Mr. Sharma said he had used three names — Ramesh, Hamesh and Harmesh — on different occasions, though his intent was never mala fide. ``I did it for legal purposes,'' he said.

The Minister said the local authorities could have erred while entering his name as Hamesh Dutt Sharma in records after he had taken possession of a plot owned by the village panchayat in 1978.

The land had been earmarked for use as a burial ground of Muslims before 1947 and was used as a ``common land'' after Independence.

Mr. Sharma said that he had never signed any document as Harmesh.

When a copy of the agreement with a bank to raise a loan against the same land was shown to him, he denied that he had signed the papers.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National