New Delhi: Is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 80 or 82 years old? In an affidavit he submitted to the returning officer in Assam on Wednesday while filing his nomination papers for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, Dr Singh mentions his age as 82 years.
However, that does not match with his age recorded in a previous affidavit that he had filed just before the May 2007 Rajya Sabha elections.
In that, he had said he was 74 years old, which would make him 80 plus years now. That number tallies with his date of birth listed on the Prime Minister’s Office Website.
His official online profile says Dr Singh was born on September 26, 1932, which would mean he turns 81 later this year.
This discrepancy could turn out to be an embarrassment for the Prime Minister who is already on the backfoot following a slew of scams and scandals that have punctuated his second term at the helm of the ruling United Progressive Alliance.
Dr Singh does not own any land, agricultural or non-agricultural, but owns a 1996 model Maruti 800 car and has movable assets, including fixed deposits, of over Rs 3.87 crore.
The PM also has two residential properties as per the affidavit submitted yesterday along with his nomination papers seeking a fifth term in the Rajya Sabha from Assam.
With a total income of Rs 40,51,964 during 2011-12, the financial year for which he filed his last income tax returns, the Prime Minister has stated that his total movable assets are valued at Rs 3,87,63,188, while his wife Gursharan Kaur has movable assets of Rs 20,27,902. His movable assets are 12 fixed deposits, including 11 at the State Bank of India’s Central Secretariat branch in New Delhi and one at the SBI’s Dispur branch in Guwahati.
He has an investment of Rs 8,26,922 in National Savings Scheme at GPO in New Delhi. The Prime Minister’s wife has Rs 20,000 as ‘cash in hand’. His Maruti 800 car’s current value has been put at Rs 21,033. (Agencies)