Cong's Supriya Shrinate alleges disproportionate increase in assets of Nishikant Dubey's wife

New Delhi [India], October 17 (ANI): Congress leader Supriya Shrinate launched an attack against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, alleging a disproportionate increase in his wife's assets.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Shrinate cited a Lokpal complaint against Dubey and his election affidavits, to claim that his wife's assets have gone up from Rs 50 lakh in 2009 to about Rs 32 crore in 2024, while there has been no significant rise in the BJP MP's income.
According to the Congress leader, the Lokpal bench has asked him to respond within four weeks.
She said, "Nishikant Dubey is a four-time BJP MP. He is the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology. He is very close to the Prime Minister and Home Minister, and some serious allegations have been levelled against him. The Lokpal bench has asked him to respond within four weeks."
"The complaint against him states that his wife's assets were worth Rs 50 lakh in 2009, and in 2024, her assets increased to approximately Rs 32 crore in 15 years. However, his income did not increase in this way, so this is a case of asset disproportion. Your income did not increase, but your assets continued to grow. Where did this money come from?"
According to Dubey's election affidavit in 2024, his wife's movable assets totalled Rs 28.94 crore, while her immovable assets (at cost) were approximately Rs 6.48 crore.
Shrinate alleged that the BJP MP's affidavit shows a loan of Rs 1.2 crore, while Abhishek Jha, the alleged lender, claims he did not lend the money to Dubey's spouse.
"In his affidavit dated 2024, he stated that he took a loan of Rs 1.2 crore from a person named Abhishek Jha. Abhishek Jha even contested the elections against him as an independent. He claims he did not give any such loan. There is no mention of this in his affidavit. So, whose money is this?" she said.
Demanding a clarification from the BJP, the Congress leader added, "The Lokpal is investigating it. But as an MP, the BJP, being the ruling party, should provide clarification on this and answer the public's questions."
Amit Malviya, in charge of the BJP's National IT Department, hit back at Congress, claiming that the complainant in Nishikant Dubey's case did not attend the hearing in the Lokpal court.
"Anamika Gautam will present her side before the Lokpal. Since the matter is under consideration, it would not be appropriate to respond to the allegations. But the question arises that when the complainant themselves are avoiding the hearing, then why did the Congress feel the need to hold a press conference on this matter? It seems that the wounds inflicted by Nishikant Dubey have now become a chronic sore for the Gandhi family," Malviya wrote on X. (ANI)