HP CM accuses ED of inflating value of his Delhi farmhouse

SAYS THE FARMLAND WHICH WAS ATTACHED BY THE ED WAS PURCHASED FOR ₹1.20 CRORE BUT THE ED STATED ITS VALUE TO BE ₹27 CRORE

SHIMLA: Chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who returned from New Delhi on Tuesday, hit out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleging that it had 'concocted' the value of the farmhouse it had attached in a money laundering case.

He said that farmland in question was purchased for ₹1.20 crore by M/s Mapple, the company promoted by his son Vikrmaditya, but the ED stated its value to be ₹27 crore.

Virbhadra Singh said that he gave ₹90 lakh to his son from his personal account through proper banking channels and the remaining amount was paid from his personal accrued money.

He said his family took friendly loans amounting to ₹5.90 crore from V Chandersekhar and the amount had been paid back in full with interest long time ago and accounted for tax appropriately. “It is on record that the said property was purchased for ₹1.20 crore but the ED gave its value at ₹27 crore. It turns out that an officer Ajay Singh, whose wife is a BJP MLA from UP, was assigned the duty of assessing Maple as assistant commissioner of income tax, New Delhi, who instead of assessing the revenue made mala fide conclusions that the property was worth ₹27 crore,” said Virbhadra Singh.

“Now, the ED is using the baseless revenue assessment figure of ₹27 crore to sensationalise the matter to malign and defame me,” he alleged.