New Delhi: As the high-octane campaign for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls reaches its peak, verbal duels continued on Wednesday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
PM Modi who has been hitting out against the Congress over the past few days by raising issues like “redistribution of wealth’’ and the Opposition party’s plans to snatch away reservations from Dalits and tribals, latched on the “inheritance tax’’ which was mentioned by senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda, who leads the overseas wing of the Congress.
Though the Congress swung into damage control mode and distanced itself from the remarks, the comments of Pitroda kicked up a controversy and he clarified that his remarks had nothing to do with the party policy. However, the BJP and PM Modi would not let the opportunity slip away from their hands.
PM Modi widened his sharp attack on the Congress by using the comments of Pitroda on tax inheritance. Addressing a poll rally at Chhattisgarh’s Surguja, he said the Congress’s “dangerous intentions are coming out in the open”. “Now Congress is saying that it will impose an Inheritance Tax and tax the inheritance received by people from their parents.”
“The wealth you accumulate with your hard work won’t pass down to your children. The Congress’s hand will snatch it. The Congress’s mantra is ‘loot during your lifetime, loot after your death’,” the Prime Minister said, taking a cue from Life Insurance Corporation’s “zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi” tagline.
“As long as you live, Congress’s high taxation will make you suffer. When you are dead, they will put the burden of inheritance tax,” he told the gathering. Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to the people to take Pitroda’s remarks seriously. “Their hidden plans have come out in the open. People should take note. And the Congress
must withdraw the mention of the survey from its manifesto,” he said.
In his election rallies over the past few days, the Prime Minister alleged that the Congress plans to conduct a survey and put into motion a wealth redistribution plan. He has also claimed that property and jewellery owned by citizens would be surveyed, taken away and redistributed.
Amid continuing row, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi clarified on his “wealth survey’’ remark and said he only wanted to find out the amount of injustice the country was facing.
“I have not said we will take action yet. I am just saying let’s find out how much injustice has been done,” Rahul Gandhi said, while addressing the party’s ‘Social Justice Conference’ at Delhi’s Jawahar Bhawan.
“Look at how Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted the moment I said let’s test how much injustice has been done. They are saying this is an attempt to break down the country. Through the X-ray (wealth survey), we will get to know the problem,” the former Congress chief said.
“Those who call themselves ‘deshbakt’ are scared of the ‘X-ray’ of caste census,” Rahul Gandhi asserted, and said that no force can stop it.
Gandhi also said it is his life’s mission to ensure justice for the 90 percent of the population against whom injustice has been done.
“Injustice is being done to 90 per cent of Indians. The moment I called to check this injustice, the Prime Minister and the BJP started attacking me,” Rahul Gandhi alleged.
Later, at a rally in Amravati in Maharashtra, the Congress leader said that during the past decade of the Modi government, India’s wealth has concentrated in the hands of only a handful billionaires.
“The wealth with these 22 billionaires is equal to what 70 crore Indians have,’’ he said. He alleged the Modi government had waived off bank loans worth Rs. 16 lakh crores of these billionaires but done nothing to waive off loans of the poor and farmers.