Centre shielding real slim shadies?
28 Oct 2014 11:19 PM GMT
The first list of black money stashers and repeated income tax offenders is out and it definitely hasn’t had many takers other than BJP itself. The list that names Pradip Burman of the Dabur group, Surat trader Pankaj Chimanlal Lodhiya and Radha Satish Timblo, director of the Goa based Timblo group is hardly the one that people across the country including politicians have their eyes fixed on. With a junior minister from the previous Dr Manmohan Singh government and three other Congress functionaries being investigated for allegedly funnelling billions of dollars in illegitimate accounts overseas, the list that has named Burman, Lodhiya and Timblo looks farcical. Why exactly has the ruling NDA government decided to adopt a policy of selective disclosure as far as the Black Money list is concerned is case in point.
The stand becomes even more dubious especially after Congress has openly challenged the ruling party of disclosing names without any hitch. When finance minister Arun Jaitley gave an interview to a news channel on the said matter even then aspersions were cast that whether or not BJP was even serious about the issue? Questions were also being raised about the veracity of Jaitley’s statement about Congress being in far more murkier waters than BJP. And this comes just in time with a media report which says that 401 Members of Parliament are yet to declare their assets in full even after six months of the lower house coming into effect.
What should raise eyebrows is the fact that even established MP’s from either sides of the table like Lal Krishna Advani, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti and even Nitin Gadkari haven’t yet submitted their details. For political parties which have made the issue of black money as their political agendas, the need of the hour is perhaps to have their own house in order first. Last year when Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party released an HSBC Bank acquired list and named both the Ambani brothers, Jet chairman Naresh Goyal and then Congress MP from Unnao, Annu Tandon along with 700 other Indians, there was a lot of hue and cry. AAP was cornered for pointing fingers at both the major parties. It is understood that the information is not misappropriated but BJP should also not harp on half information. Information like this should be released in full and not for political gains.
The stand becomes even more dubious especially after Congress has openly challenged the ruling party of disclosing names without any hitch. When finance minister Arun Jaitley gave an interview to a news channel on the said matter even then aspersions were cast that whether or not BJP was even serious about the issue? Questions were also being raised about the veracity of Jaitley’s statement about Congress being in far more murkier waters than BJP. And this comes just in time with a media report which says that 401 Members of Parliament are yet to declare their assets in full even after six months of the lower house coming into effect.
What should raise eyebrows is the fact that even established MP’s from either sides of the table like Lal Krishna Advani, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti and even Nitin Gadkari haven’t yet submitted their details. For political parties which have made the issue of black money as their political agendas, the need of the hour is perhaps to have their own house in order first. Last year when Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party released an HSBC Bank acquired list and named both the Ambani brothers, Jet chairman Naresh Goyal and then Congress MP from Unnao, Annu Tandon along with 700 other Indians, there was a lot of hue and cry. AAP was cornered for pointing fingers at both the major parties. It is understood that the information is not misappropriated but BJP should also not harp on half information. Information like this should be released in full and not for political gains.
Next Story
