Hours after Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda backed party’s plan of redistributing wealth if voted to power and advocated for 50 per cent inheritance tax in India, Union Home Minister on Wednesday said that Pitroda’s remarks have “completely exposed” the intentions of the Congress and people of India should take cognisance of the issue.
Speaking to ANI news agency, Shah said, “After Sam Pitroda’s remark, Congress party is completely exposed.”
He said the mention of ‘survey’ in their manifesto, former Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement which is Congress’ legacy – that minorities have the first right over resources of the country – and now Sam Pitroda’s remark citing the US that there should be deliberations on the distribution of wealth have made Congress’ motive clear before the country.
“…Now when PM Modi raised this issue, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and the entire Congress party are on the backfoot that it was never their motive. But today, Sam Pitroda’s statement has made Congress’ motive clear before the country. They want to survey the private property of the people of the country, put it in government property and distribute it as per decision during UPA’s regime,” he said.
He demanded that the Congress should either withdraw the mention of wealth redistribution from their manifesto or accept that it is indeed their intention.
“…I want people to take Sam Pitroda’s statement seriously. Their intention is now in the open, its cognisance should be taken by people…,” said the Home Minister.
Earlier in the day, emphasising the need for policy toward wealth redistribution, Pitroda elaborated on the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America.
“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Pitroda said.
“In India, you don’t have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing…So these are the kinds of issues people will have to debate and discuss. When we talk about redistributing wealth, we are talking about new policies and new programs that are in the interest of the people and not in the interest of the super-rich only,” he added.
Pitroda also said that the subject of wealth distribution is strictly a ‘policy issue’ and he feels concerned about Prime Minister Modi after his remarks on Congress manifesto.
“This is a policy issue. Congress party would frame a policy through which the wealth distribution would be better. We don’t have a minimum wage (in India). If we come up with a minimum wage in the country saying you must pay so much money to the poor, that’s the distribution of wealth. Today, rich people don’t pay their peons, servants, and home help enough but they spend that money on vacation in Dubai and London…When you talk about the distribution of wealth, it is not that you sit on a chair and say I have this much money and I’ll be distributing it to everybody,” Pitroda said.
“It’s naive to think like that. The PM of a country thinks like that…I have some concerns about his brain,” he said when asked to comment on the Prime Minister’s criticisim of the Congress manifesto which talks about wealth redistribution in India.
Pitroda, however, played down his inheritance tax suggestion after the Congress distanced itself from his comments and drew sharp response from the BJP.
“It is unfortunate that what I said as an individual on inheritance tax in the US is twisted…to divert attention from what lies PM is spreading about Congress manifesto. PM’s comments Mangal Sutra and gold snatching are simply unreal,” Pitroda posted on X.
Replying to the BJP’s criticism, Pitroda said, “Who said 55 per cent will be taken away? Who said something like this should be done in India? Why are the BJP and the media in panic?”
“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 added.
With inputs from agencies
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