Minister’s wife said family lives on Rs6,000 a month, say activists

While state cooperation minister Harshwardhan Patil’s affidavit filed in October 2004 showed his assets to be worth Rs1.30 crore, his family was living in near penury till just a few months before this affidavit, if his wife Bhagyashree’s affidavit is to be believed.

The latter, in an affidavit filed as a part of an application made to gain membership of the now controversial Aashirwad society, claimed their family was surviving on a meagre Rs6,000 per month, as revealed by city-based activists on Saturday.

Advocate YP Singh, along with other activists, claimed that Bhagyashree filed the affidavit after an earlier application made by Patil’s mother, Ratnaprabha, got rejected because she mentioned their family monthly income as Rs26,000, which was above the eligibility norm for the flat.

A government resolution (GR), issued in July 1999, however, exempted public servants and legislators from having an income limit for setting up and being a part of housing society, located on a plot gained at a concessional rate.

“Patil mentioned his assets as worth more than Rs1 crore in an affidavit filed in 2004. How is it possible that their family monthly income is just Rs6,000?” said Singh. He alleged that Patil’s wife wasn’t eligible for a flat in the society, since he already owned a flat within city limits. “According to a 1999 state GR, anyone who already owned a flat within city limits would not be eligible for another flat.” Singh, however, could not produce any documents to substantiate these claims.

Arun Gaikwad, an activist, who unearthed documents to prove Patil’s complicity, has said that he will soon be approaching the judiciary to demand a fair probe into these allegations.

Despite repeated attempts, Patil remained unavailable for comment.