Assets of 7 new faces in Modi cabinet rose in last 5 yrs

Seven new ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s team have shown an increase in their assets in the past five years, says an analysis by a private election watchdog.

Sanwar Lal Jat is the only minister who has showed a decline in his assets from Rs 2.36 crore to Rs 1.80 crore. The comparison of assets of 13 ministers was not done as recent affidavits filed by them with Election Commission were not available as they did not contest elections.

Among the ministers, Mahesh Sharma from Gautam Budhha Nagar Lok Sabha constituency has registered the highest increase in assets from Rs 15.85 crore, declared during 2009 elections, to Rs 47.37 crore this year. The rise in assets is about three-fold.

The analysis came after the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) compared the assets of the newly inducted ministers with their previous election affidavits from 2009 Lok Sabha elections. In case the minister considered had not contested the previous 2009 Lok Sabha elections, any previous declaration in elections after 2009 have been analysed.

The previous declarations of only eight newly inducted ministers were available
for comparison with their recent declarations, a statement said.

While the assets of five ministers were compared with the data they submitted during 2009 elections, the declaration of Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya was compared with assets he declared during 2012 Gujarat elections. The asset declarations of Sanwar Lal Jat were compared with the assets declared during 2013 Rajasthan elections and that of Ram Kripal Yadav with the assets declared during Rajya Sabha polls in 2011. Another new minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy recorded an increase of Rs 3.79 crore in assets from Rs 2.45 crore to Rs 6.25 crore. Yadav’s assets rose from Rs 30.62 lakh to Rs 1.39 crore in three years, according to ADR.