Shekhawat will declare his assets for public scrutiny: Sushma

New Delhi, July 7 (UNI) Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, contesting presidential election as an Independent backed by NDA, will declare his assets for public scrutiny, his spokesperson Sushma Swaraj today announced.

Talking to newspersons, she said although there was no legal binding for him to declare his assets nor was there any directive by the Chief Election Commissioner to him, yet Mr Shekhawat had decided so as the issue had been raised as probity in public life and the electorate's Right to Information.

"I should respect the electorate and probity in public life and declare my assets unilateraly," Mrs Swaraj cited Mr Shekhawat as saying.

In reply to a question, she denied that this was aimed at putting pressure on UPA-Left presidential nominee Pratibha Patil to declare her assets.

She said Mr Shekhawat was of the view that while MLAs, MPs, Ministers, Chief Ministers and Prime Ministers are expected to declare their assets, he aspiring for the highest public office should also do so, even though he is not bound do so legally.

She said Mr Shekhawat had already put his people on the job and as soon as the assets were ready in proper they it would be declared publicly and also put on Mr Shekhawat's website. Since the Election Commission had not demanded it, therefore the copy would not be sent to the Commission, she said.

Taking exception to Congress spokesman Abishek Singhvi's charge that Vice President Shekhawat had worked in police during the British Rule in India before Independence, Mrs Swaraj again raked up the issue of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin and said the Congress had lost the moral right to question Mr Shekhawat's credential when they had accepted a foreigner as their president.

She maintained that Mrs Gandhi is a foreigner and is ready for a debate on the matter after the July 19 Presidential poll. She clarified that she had nothing against Mrs Gandhi personally, but the issue is political and hence she was raising it.

UNI