Chandrababu Naidu Assets: Rs. 35.59 Crores Only -

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday, declared his and his family's assets as being about Rs. 35.59 crore.

Naidu's assets have come down by nearly Rs. 3 crores when compared to last year. Naidu's personal assets worth Rs. 31.97 lakhs, as on March 31 this year, include a residential house in Jubilee Hills worth Rs. 23.20 lakhs, an Ambassador car worth Rs. 1.52 lakhs, with the balance amount of Rs 7.24 lakh in savings bank accounts. Last year, his personal assets amounted to Rs. 39.88 lakhs.

Naidu announced that he was declaring only the acquisition cost and not the market value of the assets, since the latter varied from time to time.

Naidu's wife Bhuvaneswari has net assets of about Rs. 24.53 crores against the total liabilities of Rs. 17.22 crores. Last year, Bhuvaneswari, who heads Heritage Foods, had assets of Rs. 27.18 crores. Her loans and advances too have increased from Rs. 12.38 crores last year to Rs. 17.38 crores this year.

Naidu's son N Lokesh is worth Rs. 6.62 crores against Rs. 6.82 crores declared last year. Lokesh's wife Brahmani, the daughter of Naidu's brother-in-law and leading Telugu film actor Nanadamuri Balakrishna, has assets of Rs. 2.09 crores in her name. Last year, she had assets worth Rs. 3.22 crores.

The Jubilee Hills residence - where the family stays - has been pledged under Vijaya Bank, as Naidu's wife obtained a loan on it for the purpose of business development.

Talking to the reporters at his residence on Thursday, Naidu said that, since being appointed as the Leader of the Opposition, he has been declaring his assets every year. He suggested that all leaders declare their assets to maintain transparency in public life. He ridiculed the allegations of Congress party leaders that he owns assets worth Rs. 2,000 crores. He also challenged his political rivals to prove the allegation that he owns a hotel in Singapore and other businesses in Mauritius.

Stating that he was committed to a "Corruption-Free India", the TDP chief expressed concerns over the usage of black money in politics. He also said that the collection of donations for political parties should be made transparent along the lines of the USA. He said that legalising political donations would end the unholy nexus between politics and business.

When asked about his son Lokesh's entry into active politics, Naidu said there was no harm if Lokesh wishes to serve the party as an ordinary worker. Regarding the Telangana issue, he said that the issue was being discussed in the party, and that the TDP would soon come out with a clear statement on it. (INN)