Don’t spread lies; show mention of inheritance tax in ‘Nyay Patra’: Congress dares Modi

NEW DELHI: On the backfoot after Sam Pitroda’s remarks, Congress today challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show a single mention of ‘Inheritance Tax’ in its ‘Nyay Patra’ (party manifesto).

Congress alleged that he (the PM) was deliberately spreading lies since he had started feeling the ground slipping from under his feet on April 19.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here today, party general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, it was late Rajiv Gandhi who had abolished the Inheritance Tax way back in 1985.

“Inheritance Tax is not on our agenda. Whosoever is saying it, it is wrong. IT means Information Technology and Income Tax and not Inheritance Tax”, he made it clear while adding, “It was the BJP’s agenda when Jayant Sinha was junior Finance Minister and PM is leveling false charges against us (the Congress)”.

The Congress leader reminded the Prime Minister that it was the BJP leaders like late Arun Jaitley and his then deputy Jayant Sinha who had suggested the Inheritance Tax during the BJP’s tenure.

He reiterated that the Congress manifesto was based on the feedback taken from the public by the Congress leaders including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi after meeting tens of thousands of people during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

He pointed out that it was based on ‘Paanch Nyay’, which includes ‘Yuva Nyay’, ‘Kisan Nyay’, ‘Nari Nyay’, ‘Shramik Nyay’ and ‘Bhaagidari Nyay’ with 25 guarantees.

Jairam said the Prime Minister cannot escape the reality that the economic disparities prevailing in the country are the worst in the last 100 years. He pointed out, 21 super-billionaires in the country owned the same amount of wealth as 70 crore Indians.

Jairam said, there was massive unemployment and the GDP rate had slowed down. This, he added, was because there was not much private investment as people were afraid and they had taken citizenship in Singapore, Dubai, the UK, and the US. He said till there is no private investment, the GDP rate will not increase.

Quoting figures, Jairam said, that private investment during Dr Manmohan Singh’s time was 34 percent of GDP, which has come down to 28 percent of GDP under the Modi regime because the investors were too scared to invest here.

The Congress general secretary observed that the Prime Minister’s language since April 19 had changed as he had realized that the ground beneath his feet was slipping. He pointed out that there was no mention of ‘400 paar’ (more than 400 seats), or a 56-inch chest, and Modi guarantee in his speeches for the past few days.

He said, Modi had come down to telling lies and resorting to religious polarisation for votes. He said while it is a fact that polarisation has been his only weapon, this time he used it too blatantly and too bluntly.

Jairam made it categorically clear that Congress was not going to bite the bait and would stick to its positive agenda. He said the Congress will not bat or bowl on the pitch prepared by Jay Shah and Amit Shah but will play on its pitch of progress, development, and employment.