English : Salient points of press conference of senior BJP leader & Union Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman

 

 

Salient points of press conference of Senior BJP Leader and Union Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman

 

Senior BJP leader & Union Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday addressed a press conference at the party headquarters, and attacked Congress Party, senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram for not disclosing his assets in foreign countries. The Income Tax department has filed a charge sheet against Chidambaram’s family under "Imposition of Tax Act, 2015" in a special court of Chennai for not disclosing assets in foreign countries.

Smt Sitharaman further said that the situation resembled that of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who has been barred from contesting elections after being compelled to step down as PM. “The way Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif has been barred by the Supreme Court from contesting elections after being compelled to step down as PM for not disclosing his assets abroad, in the same way this is a Nawaz Sharif moment for the Congress brought on to it by the former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram”, she said.

Smt Sitharaman questioned Congress President Rahul Gandhi and asked, :Will Rahul Gandhi, who himself is an accused out on bail in a Rs.5,000 cr National Herald corruption case, take any action against P. Chidambaram for not disclosing his assets or make a statement?

Smt Sitharaman said that P. Chidambaram and his family at least have not disclosed many of his properties in United Kingdom and United States of America. He has not disclosed them either in his affidavit or in the Income Tax records. Referring to the chargesheet submitted to the special court of Chennai by Income Tax department, Smt Sitharaman said that Chidambaram’s family has properties worth Rs 5.37 crore and Rs 80 lakh in Cambridge. There is also a property worth Rs 3.28 crore in USA. She said that through many media sources it has been revealed that Chidambaram and his family have 21 foreign bank accounts and illegal properties in 14 nations. She said that by not disclosing the assets in foreign nations, Chidambaram and his family have violated the Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

She said that while Rahul Gandhi and Chidambaram continuously question Modi Government regarding black money but by not revealing their own assets they have shown the true colours of the Congress party. Sitharaman said that the Income Tax department is working as per the extant requatation and law will take its own course.

The Imposition of Tax Act 2015 was brought by the Narendra Modi Government and has categorised non disclosure of assets in foreign nations as crime. It invites punishment of 10 years of imprisonment and 120% tax and penalty.

 

(Mahendra Pandey)

office secretary