New Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): Amid a row over the alleged intention of the Congress party to redistribute wealth once it comes to power at the Centre, the party's general secretary, Jairam Ramesh, took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya, by sharing a screenshot of the latter's post on 'X' supporting the idea to tax "inheritance wealth".
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that though he has a feeling that Malviya's post supporting wealth tax will be deleted later on, he sought PM Modi's stand on the issue given that several BJP leaders have supported the idea.
"I have a feeling this tweet will be deleted soon, so here's a screenshot to go with. @INCIndia
has clearly stated it has no plans to implement a wealth tax. Given multiple BJP leaders have declared their support for it, where does PM Modi stand?" Ramesh said in a post on 'X'.
In the screenshot shared with the post, Malviya was seen supporting BJP MP Jayant Sinha's idea to impose a tax on inheritance wealth back in 2014
"I am all for @JayantSinha idea to tax inheritance wealth..," Malviya said in the post on 'X' on November 10, 2014.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had been emphasizing a caste survey, had said in Hyderabad on April 7 after the Congress manifesto was released, that if elected to power, Congress will also hold a "financial and institutional survey" to know who possesses the wealth of India. He said after this "historical step, revolutionary work will be done" to give people their rights based on the population.
The Congress party later stated that it didn't mention "redistribution" in its manifesto and nor did Rahul Gandhi promise to redistribute the nation's wealth. Party leader Jairam Ramesh asserted that the party favours a "comprehensive socio-economic caste census," while alleging that Gandhi had been "misquoted".
Referring to reports about Congress's intention to redistribute wealth if elected to power, the Prime Minister said the party would conduct a survey and they would not even let Mangalsutra remain with women and "will go to this extent."
PM Modi, who addressed an election rally in Banswara in Rajasthan, took several jibes at Congress.
"These days those who left Congress tell one thing very seriously, they are all saying that Congress is no longer Congress, it has gone into the grasp of urban Naxals. Congress is now in the grab of Communists. One of our friends asked them how can you say this, they said look at their (Congress) manifesto. See the Congress manifesto of this election. What Congress has said in its manifesto is serious and worrying. And it is their attempt to implement the Maoist thinking. They have said that if Congress government is formed, there will be survey of property belonging to each person. How much gold our sisters have, that will be found out, calculated," PM Modi said.
"Our tribal families have silver, that will be evaluated,...how much property government employees have, money, job that will be probed. Not only this, they have said that the gold that the sisters have, and other property, that will be distributed equally. Is it acceptable to you? Does the government have a right to snatch your property? Does the government have the right to take the wealth built by you with your hard work?" PM Modi asked.
He said the gold that mothers and sisters have is not for show only, it is linked to their self-respect.
"Their Mangalsutra, the question is not of the cost of gold in it, it is linked to her dreams of her life. You are talking of snatching it in your manifesto...will distribute gold and redistribute. When it was their government, they had said that Muslims have the first right over the country's wealth. Who will you distribute after collecting the wealth, distribute it to those who have more children, distribute to infiltrators. Will the money of your hard labour be given to infiltrators, is this acceptable to you? Congress manifesto is saying that they will calculate the gold of mothers, sisters and then redistribute the wealth to those whom the Manmohan Singh government had said that the first right to resources is of Muslims. Brothers, sisters, this thinking of urban Naxals, my mothers, sisters, they will not allow even your Mangalsutra remain in your possession, they will go to this extent," PM Modi said.
PM Modi was referring to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks made in December 2006 that the minorities, particularly Muslim minorities, should have first claim on the country's resources.
"We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources," Dr Manmohan Singh had said. (ANI)
