AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who is one of the three nominees of the party for the Rajya Sabha, filed his nomination papers on Thursday declaring a total income of ₹224 in the financial year 2016-17.
According to Mr. Singh’s affidavit, his wife Anita Singh’s total income was ₹49,874 in the same period. He also declared movable assets worth ₹59,499.
Missing degrees
On the other hand, Delhi-based businessman Sushil Gupta, the second AAP nominee, declared a total income of ₹6,65,131 in 2016-17, while his wife Sumitra Devi’s income in the same period was ₹7,07,840.
Interestingly, the billionaire businessman wrote agriculturist as his profession in the affidavit filed along with the nomination on Thursday. Mr. Gupta’s educational qualifications, according to the affidavit, included Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Bachelor of Law (LLB). However, his 2013 Assembly election affidavit declared his educational qualifications as BCom and LLB from Delhi University, MBA from IASE in Sardarshahr, Rajasthan, and an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Gurukul Mahavidyalaya in Jwalapur, Haridwar.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Gupta said that the doctorate was an honorary degree presented to him in 2009 and hence he chose not to mention it in the affidavit.
“I had clearly mentioned in the last affidavit that the doctorate degree was an honorary one,” he said.
The absence of the MBA degree, which as per his 2013 affidavit was acquired in 2010, is unexplained.
Assets worth crores
Mr. Gupta’s total assets, according to the latest affidavit, are worth ₹69.15 crore and his wife’s assets are valued at ₹101.15 crore — a total of ₹170.31 crore. While contesting as a Congress candidate in 2013, Mr. Gupta had declared his total assets’ worth ₹72.15 crore and his wife’s assets’ value ₹92.28 crore — a total of ₹164.44 crore.
The third nominee, Narain Dass Gupta, a chartered accountant, also filed his nomination on Thursday, where he declared his total income as ₹1,13,69,066 and his wife Veena Gupta’s income as ₹46,43,912 for the year 2016-17.
His affidavit stated his movable assets to be worth ₹1,76,88,434, and for his wife it was ₹2,97,12,113.