Elizabeth Antony refutes rumours; FB abuzz with hearsays

Bangalore, Jun 20: With the talk about Union Defence Minister

's wife, Elizabeth Antony and her expensive works of art hogging the social media space the last couple of days, the matter seem to be clearly blown out of proportion. The Rs 28 crore deal that Mrs Antony bagged after she managed to sell two of her paintings to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has already become the talk of the town, with the proceeds from the rest of the total eight paintings not disclosed yet.

Reports had emerged on Monday that Elizabeth's paintings displayed at the India Habitat Centre earlier was picked by the Airport's authority for the insane amount in December last year. Social network users were aghast at the news citing that when the airlines is neck deep in debt, was such an extravaganze warranted.

To make her stand clear, Elizabeth has set aside the rumous and in an effort to clarify facts, said through her Facebook account, "I am posting this message after seeing some rumours circulating in the internet about an art exhibition. The exhibition had a total of 24 art exhibits (works of others included) and were sold for a cumulative Rs. 16 lakhs." [Read: Defence minister's wife makes paintings worth Rs 28 crore]

She further clarified, "The controversial painting circulated in news and social media was not sold to Airport Authority of India, but to a private art collector for a figure of Rs. 95,000. AAI had brought four paintings for a total of Rs. 2.5 lahks."

Elizabeth stated that the art exhibition was a fund raiser for free cancer treatment for patients. She added, "Navoothan Charitable Foundation has maintained the records and bills of all the financial transactions in the most professional manner and the proceeds are used entirely for cancer cause."

With the Airport Authority getting slammed for their largesse, there seem to be rumours doing the rounds that there could be another scam in the making. But whoever is at wrong, the final blame invariably lands at the doorstep of the powerful Defence Minister AK Antony.

OneIndia News