Congress steps up attack on Modi government

New Delhi, July 1: The Congress on Saturday stepped up attack on the Narendra Modi government over 50 per cent jump in deposits by Indians in Swiss banks, saying the money that was earlier being called “black” by BJP ministers was now being termed as “white”. The party also said that demonetisation was a government-created “money laundering scam” and alleged that the Modi government was protecting “its suited-booted friends” and helping convert “their black money into white”. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala accused both Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal of speaking “fair and lovely lies”.

“Pre May 2014, Money in Swiss banks was ‘Black’. In 49 months of Modi Govt, it turned ‘White’. While the 2 FMs(?) defend ‘Swiss bank A/C holders’ saying it’s not ‘Illegal’, CBDT says no information on Swiss nank A/C would be available till September 2019. FAIR & LOVELY LIES OF FMs?” Surjewala said in a tweet. He alleged that the two ministers were rushing to defend all Swiss bank account holders without information. He said Prime Minister Modi had said in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that “every child knows ‘black money is kept in Swiss banks’”, but the stance of government has changed.

Party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi also hit out at the BJP government. “First time in India’s history we have India’s Finance Minister coming forward to defend them (Swiss bank account holders),” she said. She said the government has actually created a “money laundering scam”.

Jaitley had in a blog on Friday said that the Indians who have illegally stashed unaccounted money in Swiss banks would face harsh penal proceedings under the black money law after Switzerland starts sharing details of accounts from next year under a bilateral agreement on automatic exchange of information. He had said that casting doubt on the efficacy of the government’s anti-black money measures was a “misinformed reaction”. (IANS)