janjivan Bureau
New Delhi/ Jaipur: Now Congress accused Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje of “forcible, illegal occupation” of the Dholpur Palace along with Lalit Modi through a private company. Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that Hemant Singh, the estranged husband of Raje, had admitted before a court that the palace was the property of the Rajasthan government.
He told that several revenue department documents between 1954 and 2010 showed that the palace was a government property but Raje and Lalit Modi’s company Niyant Heritage Hotels has turned it into a “high end luxury hotel” and invested Rs 100 crore with no role of the state government.
Raje in her 2013 assembly poll affidavit had admitted having shares of the Niyant Heritage Hotels Pvt Ltd along with her MP son Dushyant Singh and daughter-in-law Niharika, and Lalit Modi said Ramesh.
“The election affidavit reflects that she own 3280 shares, her son and daughter-in-law about 3225 shares each and Lalit Modi’s company Ananda Heritage Hotels Pvt Ltd 815 shares, establishing the financial relationship, partnership and investment of overseas money from a tax haven,” he said.
The BJP, however, denied the claims of Congress saying the Dholpur Palace belongs to Raje’s son Dushyant. The ruling party also challenged the Congress to prove its allegations.
In Jaipur, State BJP president Ashok Parnami and Rajasthan Health Minister Rajendra Rathore rejected the charge levelled Ramesh that the Dholpur Palace does not belong to Dushyant.
Contesting Ramesh’s claim, Parnami displayed before reporters documents which, he said, clearly proved that Hemant Singh had handed over the custody of the palace to Dushyant. He said court documents were there to substantiate this.