Palace issue: Prove allegation, BJP dares Jairam Ramesh

The BJP has rejected Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s allegation that Dholpur Palace was a government property. Mr Ramesh made the allegations based on statements made in court by ex-husband of Ms Vasundhara Raje, Hemant Singh, the erstwhile maharaja of Dholpur.

However, Rajasthan health minister Rajendra Singh Rathore and BJP state president Ashok Parnami held a joint press conference to counter Mr Ramesh’s claim. Mr Rathore challenged Mr Ramesh to prove his allegation or quit politics.

“If the palace was a government property why did the Congress government award compensation of Rs 1.97 crore to Dushyant Singh for acquiring 567 yards land that was part of the palace The Congress was in power both at the Centre and the state in 2010 when the award was passed,” Mr Rathore asked. Even in the Dholpur municipality records, the Dholpur Palace is registered in the name of Dushyant Singh, said Mr Parnami who had come with documents to counter the Congress allegations.

They also said that there was an out of the court settlement between Mr Dushyant Singh and his father Hemant Singh over the property owned by the Dholpur royal family.

On the basis of this settlement by the additional district judge of fast track court number 2 in Bharatpur issued a decree in June 2007, which was registered in August 2007.

The BJP leaders also displayed documents to claim that the Dholpur Palace listed as being given to the government of India in 1952 was given back to the Dholpur royals in 1957 in lieu of other properties and land that were given to the state government by the royal family. “A notification was issued by the general administration department of the Central government according to which the home ministry through an order in October 1954 acknowledged Dushyant Singh’s father Hemant Singh’s ownership on Dholpur’s Kesar Bagh and the building attached to it. It is also mentioned in the GAD correspondence that it had taken possession of Kesar Bagh while the City Palace on Agra-Gwalior Road was handed over to Hemant Singh’s representative,” Mr Parnami said.