YOUR MONEYSITE: NEW
DELHI: Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Former President Pratibha
Devisingh Patil’s tenure at Rashtrapati Bhavan ended in July 2012, but her
affairs with controversies seem to continue even now.A
right to information (RTI) inquiry has revealed that Patil, who had received
many gifts as President of India, has taken the same to her hometown Amravati.
According to reports, RTI activist Subhash Agarwal, in an application to
Rashtrapati Bhavan, said that Patil should return all the gifts to government
by January 13, 2013.
In a reply to Agarwal’s RTI query, Rashtrapati Bhavan said that Patil received
around 155 gifts and relics during her tenure as President, which she has given
to the Vidya Bharati Shaikshanik Mandal, Amravati, Maharashtra, for display in
its private museum. Interestingly, this museum is controlled by Pratibha atil’s
son Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, also a Congress MLA.
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam had also kept around 36 artifacts for display
at the Brahmos Centre in New Delhi. However, Agarwal argued that unlike Vidya
Bharati Shaikshanik Mandal, Brahmos Centre is a government body.
He further said that from the RTI response it is evident the President’s
Secretariat during Patil’s five-year term did not follow the rules of toshakhana (government
treasury) with respect to gifts received by the President. He maintains that
Patil should have give in all her artifacts to the toshakhana.
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