Hardeep Puri’s wife Laxmi Puri is richer than him, affidavit shows Rs 34 crore Geneva flat
Hardeep Singh Puri filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Madhya Pradesh. His affidavit shows wife Laxmi Puri has higher income, assets and bank deposits
PTC Web Desk: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the BJP’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Madhya Pradesh, has filed his nomination. The affidavit attached to it shows that his wife, Laxmi Puri, has a higher income, more movable assets and bigger bank deposits than he does.
The 74-year-old leader filed his papers on Saturday. The bypoll is scheduled for November 12.
Hardeep Puri’s assets and income
According to the affidavit, Puri owns movable assets worth Rs 6.54 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 20 crore. These include a residential property in Delhi’s West End area. His yearly income went up from Rs 63.36 lakh to Rs 75.57 lakh in the last five years.
He has listed his pension, his salary as a Union minister, rent from his Delhi property and interest on bank deposits as his income sources.
He holds Rs 10,000 in cash and owns a vehicle worth about Rs 32 lakh. He has around Rs 22.20 lakh spread across four bank accounts in Delhi.
Laxmi Puri’s assets and income
Laxmi Puri, a retired Indian Foreign Service officer who also worked as a diplomat and UN official, has movable assets of Rs 10.66 crore and immovable assets of Rs 9 crore. Her properties include a house in Greater Noida worth Rs 19.52 lakh and an apartment in Geneva, Switzerland, valued at 3 million Swiss francs (roughly Rs 34 crore). She also holds $290,658, which is about Rs 2.75 crore.
Her income rose sharply over the same five-year period, from Rs 15.39 lakh to Rs 1.69 crore. Puri’s income grew by only about Rs 12.21 lakh in that time. She earns from pensions from the Government of India and the United Nations, rent from her Geneva property and bank interest.
She has Rs 20,000 in cash and jewellery worth Rs 45 lakh. Her two Delhi bank accounts hold about Rs 1.02 crore.
Savings and liabilities
Both have money in Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme (SCSS) accounts. The deposits are Rs 20.54 lakh for Puri and Rs 30 lakh for his wife.
Neither of them has any loan or liability from banks or financial institutions. The affidavit also says no criminal case is pending against Puri and that he has never been convicted in any case.
Congress attacks BJP over Epstein link
Reacting to the nomination, the Congress accused the BJP of “shamelessly promoting” a man linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Puri has said he met Epstein three or four times in a professional setting before he joined the Union Cabinet in 2017. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Why the seat is vacant
The BJP’s Central Election Committee announced Puri’s name on October 28. The seat became vacant after Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan resigned. His term was due to end in April 2030.
Also Read | AAP faces Punjab setback: Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Pathanmajra and Jouramajra join BJP in first major poll-bound defections