Why Tripura CM Manik Sarkar, ‘poorest politician’, is ‘richest’ man in India, in terms of honesty

If official documents are to be believed, Tripura CM Manik Sarkar's wealth stands at just Rs 3,930.

Agartala, Jan 31: They have mind-boggling wealth and equally startling confidence to flaunt it openly. Well, we all know how our politicians accumulate wealth, by looting exchequer money, in most cases.

However, there are exceptions too, even among our otherwise "corrupt" political class, who proudly wears the badge of honesty. Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar is one of them, perhaps the only one.

Will anyone believe that an Indian politician owns only Rs 3,930? Perhaps not. If official documents are to be believed, the Tripura CM's wealth stands at just Rs 3,930.

On Monday, when Sarkar went to file his nomination papers to contest polls for the upcoming Tripura Assembly elections, the 69-year-old leader revealed that he has Rs 1,520 in hand and Rs 2,410 in his account in a nationalised bank.

He does not have any other bank deposit, the affidavit said. Till date, the CM has never filed an income tax return, as his earning is too less to be taxed by the government.

Regarding his official salary as the CM of Tripura, the Left leader donates his entire salary to his party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M). However, he gets Rs 5,000 from the CPI-M as subsistence allowances.

He has no cultivable or homestead land. He stays in the CM's official residence in the state capital, Agartala.

His wife Panchali Bhattacharya, a retired central government employee, has Rs 20,140 as cash and Rs 1,24,101 and Rs 86,47,378 in two bank accounts. She also has three fixed deposits of Rs 2 lakh, Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2.25 lakh, besides 20 grams of jewellery.

Bhattacharya inherited 888.35 sq ft area of land and till date invested Rs 15 lakh for construction there. The current value of the land is Rs 21 lakh. She filed her last income tax return in 2011-12, where she showed her income as Rs 4,49,770. After that, she did not file an income tax return.

The elections in the state will be held on February 18. The CPI-M leader is going to contest polls from Dhanpur constituency. If his party wins the polls once again, Sarkar is likely to become the CM of the northeastern state once again.

It's not just his simple living, minus all the trappings of wealth, which attracts the attention of all. Sarkar is also one of the longest serving CMs of India. In 1998, he became the CM of the state for the first time. Since then, for the last 20 years, he is heading the Left government in Tripura.

Next, time you curse politicians for being corrupt and shameful, just think about Sarkar, India's "poorest active politician" (holding a high office) and "richest man", in terms of honesty.

OneIndia News