Karnataka polls: After declaring assets worth over Rs 700 crore, Congress minister DK Shivakumar says he is ready for investigation

Two days after DK Shivakumar, ruling Congress’ richest nominee for the ensuing state Legislative Assembly polls, declared combined assets worth over Rs 700 crore , the minister said on Saturday said he was open for an investigation. [caption id=“attachment_3932175” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Karnataka minister DK Shivakumar. Twitter/@dks7[/caption] “I welcome an investigation, they (the BJP) are already using their might to create problems for me. As far as my assets are concerned, there is nothing new. The column (in the Election Commission form) asked for the present market value of properties and that is how the number went up,”  ANI quoted  Shivakumar as saying. According to the nomination papers filed at the Kanakapura Assembly segment in Ramanagara district, about 55 kilometres from Bengaluru, Shivakumar, declared his income and assets and that of his wife, Usha’s, to be Rs 730 crore. The state’s energy minister’s income and assets have nearly tripled since the 2013 Assembly elections when he had  declared assets valued at Rs 251 crore . Through the affidavit, Shivakumar declared cash and bank deposits worth Rs 95 crore, immovable assets including commercial buildings and land valued at over Rs 635.8 crore and gold, diamonds, and silver valued at over Rs 1.5 crore, among other assets. In addition, he also disclosed the assets and income of his daughter Aisshwarya to be over Rs 100 crore. With inputs from IANS