April 24th 2024.
New Delhi: The issue of inheritance tax has caused a stir after Congress leader Sam Pitroda's comments on it. However, the party has clarified that they have no intentions of implementing such a tax and have even accused the Modi government of wanting to impose it. This all started when Pitroda, who is also the president of the Indian Overseas Congress, mentioned the inheritance tax law in the United States during a discussion on wealth redistribution.
In response, Prime Minister Modi criticized the Congress for their "dangerous intentions" of taking away people's assets and rights. Congress quickly responded through Jairam Ramesh, the party's general secretary in-charge of communications, who stated that the party has no plans of introducing an inheritance tax. In fact, he pointed out that it was former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi who abolished the Estate Duty in 1985. Ramesh also highlighted some BJP leaders' past comments in favor of an inheritance tax, including Jayant Sinha, who was the Minister of State for Finance in 2014 and later the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance.
Ramesh shared a 15-minute speech by Sinha from the Forbes India Philanthropy Awards 2013, where he strongly advocated for an inheritance tax of 55%, similar to the US. He also pointed out a 2014 post on social media by BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya, where he supported Sinha's idea of taxing inheritance wealth. Ramesh also highlighted that the word "redistribution" does not appear in the Congress' manifesto, while it has been mentioned in the BJP's manifesto for the 1999 and 1996 Lok Sabha elections.
Ramesh addressed Prime Minister Modi's recent comments on "mangalsutras" and gold snatching, stating that the BJP's own manifesto talks about the need for redistribution and equity. He questioned whether the PM believes that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also part of a conspiracy to take away women's mangalsutras. Ramesh also mentioned that Pitroda, who has been a mentor and guide to many, is entitled to his personal opinions and that they do not always reflect the position of the Congress.
Pitroda also clarified his stance on the issue, stating that his comments on the US inheritance tax were taken out of context by the "Godi media" (referring to media channels believed to be biased towards the ruling party). He pointed out that he was simply providing an example during a conversation and that it has nothing to do with the policies of any party, including Congress. Pitroda also questioned the panic caused by his comments and stated that no one has mentioned a 55% tax rate or implementing such a tax in India.
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