oll Bass The rich and the poor

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In Amethi, save for two occasions-i.e. in 1977 and 1998-the electorates have been voting only for the Congress, which ruled the country for over four decades. Yet Amethi is largely a rural constituency with 60 per cent illiteracy. Agricul-ture is not much as water is scarce and conse-quently power supply is not regularised. The constituency, which was nursed by Rahul'sfather, mother and uncle, Sanjay Gandhi, has about only 20 per cent people employed and poverty is widespread. However, the 33-year old Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, has about Rs 11 lakh in Indian banks, nearly ? 30,000 and $ 19,000 in banks abroad, apart from investments worth over Rs 7 lakh. The affidavit, submitted by Rahul while filing his nomination papers from Amethi on April 5, reveals that he also owns a farmhouse at Mehrauli in Delhi worth Rs 9.8 lakh.

Rahul has Rs 10.11 lakh in UCO Bank and Rs 99,000 in Citibank in New Delhi, according to the affidavit. It also points out that he has ? 27,700 at Westminster Bank in England besides three other foreign accounts of $ 18,600, $ 600 and ? 2,700. He has also invested nearly Rs 3.9 lakh in shares and Rs 3.80 lakh in LIC and other saving certificates. In addition, he has jewellery valued at Rs 1.25 lakh.

The assets of his mother Smt Sonia Gandhi, who also represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha, are, to say the least, very ?modest? as she does not own a car, neither does she own a house in India-but, of course, she does own an ancestral home in Italy worth Rs 12.45 lakh. According to the affidavit submitted by her last week in Rae Bareli, she has cash deposits worth Rs 26.20 lakh in UCO Bank and Rs 25,000 in cash. She has invested Rs 10.50 lakh and Rs 13.29 lakh in RBI Bonds and other policies respectively. In addition, she has National Saving Certificates worth Rs 1.29 lakh and gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 14.71 lakh. Also, according to the affidavit, she has a piece of land each in Delhi and Sultanpur (UP) valued at Rs 2.19 lakh. Sonia has also given a loan worth Rs 5 lakh to her daughter Priyanka Vadra.