Of Prince And Pauper: Rs 150 Cr Windfall For Sena MP’s Driver

The name Salar Jung is famous as it is identified with a well-stocked museum in Hyderabad. Salar Jung was Diwan (Prime Minister) to the Nizam, once upon a time the wealthiest individual in the world. Curiously, the Salar Jung family is in the news now. Reason: Descendants of the great collector have reportedly gifted a plot of land, claimed to be worth Rs 150 crore, in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in Marathwada region of Maharashtra to an individual. But more curious is the fact that the recipient of the windfall is none other than the driver of Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumre, a close confidant of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. The MP and his MLA son Vilas have both denied any connection with the controversial transaction, claiming that it was a personal affair of the driver, Jawed Rasul Shaikh, who has been working for them for the past 13 years. Notice Boards installed at the property name Shaikh as the owner. For some time, all was well. But the EOW received a complaint from Advocate Mujahid Khan about the gift and has started an inquiry. The land was gifted to Shaikh through a Hibanama (gift deed) by Mir Mahmood Ali Mazhar Ali Khan and five other descendants of the Salar Jung family, the complaint noted. Shaikh maintains that he had close ties with the Jung family, which resulted in him getting the land. So far, the EOW has not taken any further steps.