Grand Dholpur Palace: A beautiful hotel at centre of Modi-Raje scandal

FP Staff • June 29, 2015, 17:35:47 IST

Despite the palace being a government property Raje and Modi proceeded to convert it into a high-end private luxury hotel.

The Dholpur Palace, is also known as the Raj Niwas Palace. Earlier today at a press conference Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that, “Despite Dholpur City Palace being property of Govt, Vasundhara Raje & Lalit Modi proceeded to convert it into a high-end private luxury hotel.”

Jairam Ramesh: “Vasundhara Raje herself had admitted this fact that Dholpur property was owned by Govt of Raj.” Dholpur was a protectorate of the British East India Company from 1779 on wards. In 1949, it merged with the young Indian nation and in 1956 the princely state ceased to exist.

Upping the ante against Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in the Lalit Modi controversy, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday slammed Raje and said that there is ‘physical’ evidence that the CM is a “business partner of the absconder Lalit Modi.”

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Ramesh called the Raje-Modi links in the transfer of the Dholpur palace property a bizarre example of “private-private partnership.”

“Governmental property was converted to personal assets by Lalit Modi and Vasundhara Raje,” Jairam Ramesh said, adding, “We sadly have to state that Vasundhara Raje’s husband in 1980 made a statement saying Dholpur Mahal belongs to the state. Raje and her family hold shares in Niyant Hotels. She stated in 2013 poll affidavit that Lalit Modi holds shares too.”