TN bypoll contestant declares `1.76L cr cash, `4L cr debt

CHENNAI: "Cash on hand Rs 1.76 lakh crore and debt of Rs four lakh crore" may sound outlandish, but the deliberate false declaration was made in his affidavit by a candidate for the by-election to the Perambur assembly segment in Tamil Nadu.

The figures, which sarcastically refer to the notional value of 2G spectrum scam and the debt burden of the Tamil Nadu government, were mentioned by the son of a freedom fighter in a bid to expose chinks in the Election Commission's screening process of the mandatory declaration. The affidavit, a copy of which has been uploaded in the Election Commission's website, was filed by Jebamani Janata Party's J Mohanraj, a retired police inspector, along with his nomination for the by election on April 18. If taken at face value, he would have been the richest candidate in the entire country.

Asked why he made the false declaration, Mohanraj, son of freedom fighter Jebamani, alleged the 2G Spectrum case was not properly probed and it was his attempt to draw the attention to this aspect. On the Rs four lakh crore debt he declared he owed to the World Bank in the "dues" column, the 67-year old retired police inspector told PTI it was a pointer to the Tamil Nadu government's "administrative inefficiency," which resulted in a huge debt burden to the tune of about Rs four lakh crore.