STATE TIMES NEWS
Ambikapur/New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday seized on Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s remarks on inheritance tax to step up the ruling BJP’s blistering 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.
In his poll rallies, Modi framed Pitroda’s comments in his wider onslaught against the Congress, asserting that they have exposed its 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.
The Congress swung into damage control, distancing itself from the comments of the US-based president of its overseas wing and asserting that it has no plan to introduce such a tax.
“I would like to categorically state that Congress has no plan on the inheritance tax. (Sam) Pitroda is a very distinguished professional.. 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 and communication department head Jairam Ramesh 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,” he said on X.
Pitroda had spoken about inheritance tax in the US while delving into the issue of redistribution of wealth.
At an election rally in Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur, Modi said the dangerous intentions of the Congress are coming to the fore one by one and now “it says it will impose inheritance tax”.
“The advisor of ‘shehzada’ of the ‘shahi parivar’, who was also the advisor to the shehzada’s father, said that more tax should be imposed on the middle class and those who earn by toiling hard,” Modi said, apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi and Pitroda.
The Congress will impose a tax on the assets inherited by people from their parents, he said, claiming that the “panja” (Congress’ poll symbol) will snatch the assets from their children.
“Congress ka mantra hei Congress ki loot ‘zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi’ (Congress’ mantra is looting people when they are alive and afterwards too),” he said improvising on the iconic tagline of state-run Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
“Till you are alive, the Congress will impose more tax and after your life ends, it will impose the burden of inheritance tax on you. They (Congress) want to snatch your assets and rights of your children,” the prime minister alleged. He spoke on similar lines in his rallies in Madhya Pradesh.
Pitroda, however, sought to clear the air saying it is unfortunate that what he said as an individual on inheritance tax in the US is twisted by “godi media” to divert attention from the “lies” Modi is spreading about the Congress manifesto. Modi’s comments on Mangal Sutra and gold snatching are simply unreal, he added.
“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 kinds of issues people will have to discuss and debate. This has nothing to do with the policy of any party including Congress,” he said on X.
Amid the fierce attack from the BJP, the Congress has been insisting that its manifesto does not talk about “redistribution” and that it favours a “comprehensive socio-economic caste census”.
As Pitroda’s comments provided fresh fodder to the BJP, its leaders latched onto them to target the principal opposition party ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 26.
