Accusing the UPA Government of “not having any will” to bring black money parked in foreign banks back to the country, the BJP on Wednesday pointed out that it had not acted upon the orders of the Supreme Court by not furnishing details of the accounts abroad and also delayed by six years the ratification of the UN convention against corruption which could have facilitated information to India on the ill-gotten money.
The BJP said the apex court had not entertained the review petition by the Government and insisted that the Government provide the list of those who have stashed black money in tax havens abroad. Addressing a Press conference here, the party spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman recalled that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced in 2009 that his Government “would take steps to bring money back within 100 days of assuming power”.
Seetharaman said when party veteran lK Advani raised the issue of black money in 2009 poll campaign, the Congress leaders had “mocked at him” and now their Government “has failed people of the country” by not acting upon even on orders of the highest court in the land. “The Supreme Court of India has now stated that the Central Government has committed “gross Contempt of Court” and it has failed to comply with the SC orders issued three years ago on July 4, 2011, to give details of bank accounts held abroad in liechtenstein,” said Seetharam, adding that the Centre was yet to disclose the list.
She said the apex court had not only rejected the Government’s petition to review but also took over the investigation by forming a multi-disciplinary Special Investigation Team on black money and also the issue of tax evasion by Hassan Ali. The BJP spokesperson drew the attention to the court’s dismissal of the Government’s plea that the double taxation avoidance treaty between India and Germany prohibited revealing the names of those Indians, who hold accounts in liechtenstein.