Ranchi, March 4: Setting an example, Bagoder MLA Vinod Kumar Singh has declared his property and submitted details to Speaker C.P. Singh, abiding by an Assembly resolution that has virtually found no takers yet.
Speaker C.P. Singh had adopted a resolution after chief minister Arjun Munda — following in the footsteps of his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar — had announced during the winter session on January 4 that his cabinet colleagues would have to declare their assets to ensure transparent governance.
The Speaker, who was prompted by Munda to draw a commitment from the legislators in this regard, however, had not set any time limit for the MLAs to file their declarations to the Assembly secretariat.
The lone CPI(ML) legislator’s declaration includes Rs 7,611 in cash in Bank of India, Bagodar, and Rs 2,891.56 in SBI Ranchi. He owns a Bolero jeep, one NP bore 315 SB rifle, agricultural land of 20 cottahs valued at Rs 1,20,000, 15 cottahs of non-agricultural land estimated at Rs 37,500 and a residential building worth Rs 3.5 lakh.
Singh said he filed the property details to the Speaker to fulfil the commitment pledged by MLAs during the winter session. “If we do not make our property public, we will not have a moral right to raise fingers at corrupt officers and others,” he added.
He pointed out that he did not have alternate sources of income except the salary and perks he received as an MLA.
Singh, who is also the chairman of the House committee on district board and panchayati raj, said the land and house owned by him were ancestral properties located in Khambhara village under Bagodar block of Giridih district.
Son of late MLA Mahendra Prasad Singh, who was gunned down by Maoists in 2005, the legislator has also refused to accept any gift distributed by various departments during the ongoing budget session.
The “defaulter” MLAs, on the other hand, scurried for cover. “I will also declare my properties in the next two to three days,” said former deputy chief minister and BJP MLA Raghubar Das.
Deputy chief minister Sudesh Mahto said he had not filed property details yet, but would do it soon.
The Speaker believed that the MLAs will have to comply with the commitment given on the floor of the House. “I will wait till March 31 for the MLAs to respond,” he added.
