Commotion at the Rajya Sabha. Opposition leaders attacked the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of bringing back black money as a debate on the issue was taken up in the Rajya Sabha.
The main opposition Congress launched an attack on the government, and said that the real work in getting information on black money stashed abroad was done by the previous Congress-led government.
Initiating the debate on black money in the upper house, Congress leader Anand Sharma also questioned the BJP’s poll promise of bringing back black money in 100 days.
Sharma named Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Baba Ramdev in his speech and said the protests were orchestrated. “An atmosphere was created before the election and it was used against the government in office. Protests were orchestrated by opposition,” Sharma said.
“The country was misled and a perception was created… They said Rs. 15 lakh will come to every account,” he said, questioning where the money was.
He slammed the BJP-led government for taking the credit for formation of the SIT (Special Investigation Team). “The SIT was ordered by Supreme Court, it is wrong for government to take credit,” he said.
“Our government was not given any credit. We signed so many agreements and treaties to get the information… Whatever information the government has today was brought by our government,” he said.
Hitting out directly at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sharma said: “In all his pre-poll rallies, the prime minister said Rs. 85 Lakh crore was in banks abroad. Now the prime minister says he does not know about it”.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien also slammed the prime minister calling his campaign an “advertisement”.
“A multi-billion dollar advertising campaign was run before the election, the product was BJP — Bharatiya Janata Product. They made certain promises in the campaign… but you are not delivering,” he said.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said mere lip service would not help the BJP government.
“Just talking about it will not help, government needs to do something. Where is the money, bring it back, punish some people,” he said.
Meanwhile in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan rejected a notice by the Congress party for an adjournment motion on the issue of black money.
She also refused to suspend the question hour to discuss the matter. Mahajan, however, agreed to let the matter, which is already listed in the business of the day, be discussed at the earliest.
The adjournment motion was moved by Congress members, including leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, M. Veerappa Moily and Kamal Nath.
The speaker said she would see to it that the debate is taken up as soon as possible though she did not give any specific time.
Kharge said the issue was important as it related to the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to bring back black money within 100 days of coming to power and failure to do so amounted to violation of promises.
Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay said placing the discussion on black money as the “last item” of the day’s agenda was like discussing black money in the darkness of night.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said during the NDA’s rule no black money went out of the country. “Whatever happened, happened in your tenure…We are ready for discussion…The timings are decided by the speaker.”
Opposition parties, led by the Trinamool Congress and the Congress, made vociferous protests inside the Lok Sabha over the issue of black money Tuesday. (IANS)