'Irony died when...": Minister's jibe at Tharoor in affidavit row
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday hit back at the Congress over the controversy surrounding his election affidavit. A row erupted when the party highlighted a substantial decrease in his taxable income for the fiscal year 2021/22, reported as ₹680—compared to ₹17.5 lakh for the fiscal year 2020 and ₹5.5 lakh for the fiscal year 2023, as per her affidavit. In a post on X, he countered the Congress's plan to "run a campaign about my ₹680 as taxable income."
Why does this story matter?
The controversy began when Chandrasekhar's election affidavit revealed his income for FY 2021/22 was just ₹680. His declared assets, worth ₹28 crore, included cash, bank deposits, various holdings, bonds, debentures, shares and units in companies/mutual funds. Among his movable assets was a vintage motorcycle—a 1942 Red Indian Scout—and other items valued at approximately ₹3.25 crore. His only declared immovable asset was a plot of non-agricultural land in Bengaluru in Karnataka worth an estimated ₹14.4 crore.
Minister Chandrasekhar clarifies income sources amid controversy
In his post, Chandrasekhar said, "I am only in public life for several years and my income is derived only (from) MP or Minister's salary and perks, and interest/dividend from savings/investments." He attributed the drastic reduction in his taxable income in 2021-2022 to losses from partnerships during the Covid period. "My 18-year-career in public life has been totally free from any blemish despite many attempts by (the Congress), including their recent attempt after my entry into Thiruvananthapuram," he added.
Read Chandrasekhar's post here
Chandrasekhar hits out at Congress, Tharoor
Chandrasekhar has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Lok Sabha seat in the Kerala capital, which has been held by the Congress's Shashi Tharoor since 2009. He also hit out at the Congress's "first family" and Tharoor. "Irony certainly died when the Congress, whose first family is on trial for stealing properties...transferring it to their name...and a candidate who resigned as minister for his illegal IPL 'interests' start talking about disclosures and taxation," he said.
Tharoor receives legal notice for defamatory statements
Earlier, Chandrasekhar issued a legal notice to Tharoor, accusing him of making defamatory statements intended to damage the minister's reputation and disrespect Thiruvananthapuram's Christian community. The notice demanded an immediate retraction of allegations and an unconditional apology, to be published on electronic and print media, within 24 hours of receipt of the notice.
