Cong says no plans to introduce inheritance tax, distances itself from Pitroda's remarks
New Delhi, Apr 24: The Congress on Wednesday asserted that it has no plans to introduce inheritance tax in the country as a row erupted over the remarks by its leader Sam Pitroda, who also later said that his comments on the issue had nothing to do with the party policy.
Pitroda had spoken about inheritance tax in the US while delving into the issue of redistribution of wealth. As the BJP latched on it to target the Congress, the opposition party first distanced itself from the remarks of the US-based president of its overseas wing and then launched a counter-offensive claiming it was the BJP that wanted to impose an 'inheritance tax'.
It cited the remarks made in the past by some ruling party leaders, including former union minister Jayant Sinha and the party's social media head Amit Malviya, to buttress its claim.
"I would like to categorically state that Congress has no plan on the inheritance tax. (Sam) Pitroda is a very distinguished professional and has made many contributions to the development of India. He expresses his views on the topic he feels strongly about.
"He has expressed his views in the American context, which has no relevance for us. He does not speak on behalf of the Congress," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.
With his remarks triggering a row, Pitroda said on X, "It is unfortunate that what I said as an individual on inheritance tax in the US is twisted by Godi media to divert attention from what lies the PM is spreading about the Congress manifesto. PM's comments on Mangal Sutra and gold snatching is simply unreal."
"I mentioned US inheritance tax in the US only as an example in my normal conversation on TV. Can I not mention facts? I said these are the kind of issues people will have to discuss and debate. This has nothing to do with the policy of any party including Congress," he said.
"Who said 55 per cent will be taken away? Who said something like this should be done in India? Why is BJP and media in panic," Pitroda asked.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seized on Pitroda's remarks on inheritance tax to step up the BJP's attack on the issue of "wealth redistribution", saying "zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi" is the opposition party's mantra to "loot" people.
Ramesh said it was former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi who had abolished Estate Duty in 1985.
He also shared a 15-minute speech by Jayant Sinha at the Forbes India Philanthropy Awards 2013 to claim that he was in favour of an inheritance tax.
"The Congress has no plan whatsoever to introduce an inheritance tax. In fact, Rajiv Gandhi abolished Estate Duty in 1985. Please listen to BJP MP Jayant Sinha, once MoS Finance in the Modi Sarkar, and later Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance.
"He has spent 15 long minutes vehemently arguing in favour of an Inheritance Tax of 55 per cent, like in the US," Ramesh said.
He also alleged that the prime minister "is worried and is scared and has been deliberately giving communal colour to our manifesto".
"He is deliberately making all kinds of allegations against us as he is set to be defeated this time and BJP is halved in the North and is wiped out in the South. So all this is being done to divert attention from the real issues.
"Pitroda ji's comments are being deliberately sensationalised and presented out of context to divert attention from the malicious and hate-filled election campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the Congres leader claimed.
Ramesh said in a democracy an individual is at liberty to discuss, express, and debate his personal views.
"This does not mean that Mr Pitroda's views always reflect the position of the Indian National Congress. Many times they do not," he said.
"Sensationalising his comments now and tearing them out of context are deliberate and desperate attempts at diverting attention away from Mr Narendra Modi's malicious and mischievous election campaign; that is anchored only in lies and more lies," Ramesh said in his post on X.
He also posted, "... In 2017, reports emerged that the Modi Sarkar was going to re-introduce inheritance tax. Fact Three: In 2018, the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley praised Inheritance Taxes for spurring large endowments to hospitals, universities in the West."
"Fact Four: News reports emerged that Modi Sarkar would introduce an Inheritance Tax in Union Budget 2019," Ramesh said in another post.
In his poll rallies, Modi claimed that Pitroda's remarks have exposed the Congress' hidden agenda and that the party has become so removed from the country's social and family values that it wants to legally rob people of their assets and lifelong savings they want to bequeath to their children.
Home Minister Amit Shah also flayed Pitroda's remarks, saying "The appeasement politics of the Congress stand exposed today with Sam Pitroda's statement on wealth redistribution. He reaffirmed the party's intention to seize the property of the majority and distribute it among the minority.
"It yet again brings to the fore that the empowerment of India's poor, Dalits, youth, tribes, and backward classes was never on Congress's agenda," he said on X.
VIDEO | "I would like to categorically state that Congress has no plan on the inheritance tax. (Sam) Pitroda is a very distinguished professional and has made many contributions to the development of India. He has been a friend, philosopher and mentor to many people including me.… pic.twitter.com/utWLjjukjp
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 24, 2024
It is unfortunate that what I said as an individual on inheritance tax in the US is twisted by Godi media to divert attention from what lies PM is spreading about Congress manifesto. PM’s comments Mangal Sutra & gold snatching is simply unreal.
— Sam Pitroda (@sampitroda) April 24, 2024
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Former Delhi Cong leaders, including Arvinder Singh Lovely, join BJP
New Delhi, May 4: Former Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely joined the BJP on Saturday along with a few other leaders, including former MLAs Raj Kumar Chauhan, Neeraj Basoya and Naseeb Singh.
All the former Congress leaders, who have publicly slammed the opposition party's alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls, joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, party general secretary Vinod Tawde and its Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni.
Lovely hailed the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for giving him and his colleagues the opportunity to join the party when they felt lost.
He asserted that Modi is set to retain power in the Lok Sabha polls and expressed confidence that the BJP's flag will fly high in Delhi as well.
The seven parliamentary seats in the national capital will go to polls on May 25 in the sixth round of the seven-phase elections, voting for which began on April 19. Votes will be counted on June 4.
A four-term former MLA like Chauhan, Lovely had recently quit as Delhi Congress president protesting the party's alliance with the AAP.
All these Congress leaders had echoed similar views. Amit Malik, a former youth Congress leader, also joined the BJP.
It is believed that these leaders were also upset with their party's choice of candidates, including Kanhaiya Kumar and Udit Raj, for the Lok Sabha polls here.
This will be the second innings of Lovely in the BJP after he left it to rejoin the Congress in 2018 following a brief stay in the saffron party.
Puri praised these leaders and said the BJP will utilise their services effectively.
Lovely said the people of Delhi want to rid the city of the AAP government headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently in jail in the excise scam case.
Chauhan said the AAP government has pushed the city backwards after all the "development" seen earlier, a reference to the Congress government headed by Sheila Dikshit.
Both he and Lovely were ministers in her government.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said no one can stand with those who have "looted" the city as he welcomed them to his party.
INDIA bloc parties AAP and Congress are fighting the polls in Delhi under a seat-sharing arrangement. While the AAP has fielded candidates from four seats, the Congress is contesting the elections from three.
