Rich parliamentarians are growing richer in Punjab. The assets of eight Member of Parliaments seeking re-election from the State, during 2014 general elections, have more than doubled during their past five-year tenure.
Their average asset growth in five years, from 2009 to 2014, is evaluated at `16.63 crore, which increased at an average of 107 per cent — from `15.56 crore to `32.19 crore respectively.The data collected and analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), showed that the growth in the assets was higher among the Congress MPs, the party in power at the Centre, as compared to those from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the party in power in Punjab.
While the average assets of Congress MPs during 2009 polls were `11 crore, it grew at the rate of 128 per cent to the average figure of `27 crore. On the other hand, SAD MP’s average assets increased from `21 crore in 2009, to `40 crore in 2014 with 87 per cent growth - which is higher than the total assets of the Congress MPs.
The eight MPs seeking re-election include Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s daughter-in-law and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister and Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, Punjab Congress chief and Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa, Congress MP from Sangrur Vijay Inder Singla, Akali MP from Ferozepur Sher Singh Ghubaya, Akali MP from Faridkot Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, Jalandhar MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, and Anandpur Sahib MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.
All MPs, except Kaypee and Bittu, are seeking re-election from the same parliamentary constituencies. While Kaypee is contesting 2014 polls from neighbouring Hoshiarpur constituency, Bittu has been shifted to ludhiana, his native district.The data also indicated that Harsimrat, SAD president Sukhbir Badal’s wife, is the richest among the MPs seeking re-election. Bathinda MP, whose total declared assets were `60 crore during 2009 polls, have made a jump of `47 crore, 79 per cent, taking her total assets to `108 crore by 2014.
For the purpose, financial details of eight re-contesting MPs fielded by various political parties have been taken from the recently filed affidavits by them and the values of these financial assets have been compared to the corresponding values of the assets that the MPs showed in their affidavits in 2009.The highest increase was noticed in the assets of Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla at the rate of 324 per cent. Contesting his second election this time, Singla’s assets increased from mere `3 crore to `14 crore — by `11 crore.
Following him is State Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa with his assets showing increase of `17 crore at the rate of 263 per cent. It rose from `6 crore to `24 crore during 2014.Closely behind him is Akali MP Ghubaya, whose assets increased from `3 crore in 2009 to `9 crore in 2014 with an increase of `6 crore at a rate of 201 per cent. His co-party member Gulshan, also the chief of party’s women wing, has assets worth `3 crore — ` 2 crore up from Rs 1 crore in 2009 polls — that increased by 165 per cent.
‘Maharani of Patiala’ Preneet has `86 crore assets as compared to `42 crore during 2009 polls. Served as the Union Minister of External Affairs during UPA-II regime, Preneet’s assets increased by `44 crore at a rate of 104 per cent.Congress former State president Kaypee has assets worth `7.08 crore, against `4.81 crore during 2009 witnessing an increase by 47 per cent of `2.27 crore. His party colleague Bittu’s assets witnessed increase of 44 per cent by 96.87 lakhs — `3.15 crore in 2014 from `2.18 crore in 2009.
In all, the State has 56 crorepatis in fray, constituting 22 per cent, out of the 253 total candidates in fray for 13 lok Sabha seats. Topping the list is Akali candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib Kulwant Singh with movable assets of `117 crores and immovable worth `21.66 crores. Entering the poll fray for the first time, the builder and developer Singh has total assets worth `139.61 crore.He’s followed by Rajya Sabha MP and Congress candidate from Anandpur Sahib Ambika Soni with `118 Crore, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and SAD-BJP candidate from Amritsar Arun Jaitley with `113.02 crore, and Bathinda MP Harsimrat with Rs 108.16 crore assets.
On the contrary, two candidates — Akhil Bharatiya Shivsena Rashtrawadi’s candidate from Bathinda Geeta Rani, and Independent candidate from Jalandhar Kuldip Kumar — have zero assets; while two others - Independent candidate from Gurdaspur Sikander Singh and Independent candidate from Khadoor Sahib Bhupinder Singh - have “lowest assets” in the state of `1500 each.