In Surguja (Chhattisgarh): Amidst a political imbroglio concerning Congress’s ‘wealth redistribution’ electoral vow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lambasted the comments made by Congress’ Sam Pitroda advocating for a law similar to ‘inheritance tax’, stating that Congress wishes to prevent citizens from bequeathing their estates to their progeny.
“The advisor of the royal family’s prince has suggested levying more levies on the middle class. Now, these individuals have taken this a step further, as Congress proclaims its intent to impose an Inheritance Tax, alongside taxing inheritances from parents. The assets earned through your toil will not be bequeathed to your offspring,” articulated the Prime Minister at an electoral gathering in Surguja.
The Prime Minister expounded that Congress’s motto is “Plunder both during life and after” (“Loot zindagi ke sath bhi zindagi ke baad bhi”). “The claws of Congress will seize that too from you. While you breathe, Congress will impose exorbitant levies, and when you breathe no more, it will burden you with Inheritance Tax. Those who considered the entire Congress party as their hereditary estate and passed it down to their progeny now object to Indians passing on their wealth to their offspring,” he articulated.
After the comments escalated into a controversy, Pitroda attempted to mitigate the issue, stating that he had merely cited the inheritance tax in the US as an illustration. “Who suggested that 55 per cent would be confiscated? Who proposed such an action in India? Why are BJP and the media in a frenzy? I mentioned the US inheritance tax solely as an example during my regular television conversation. Can I not cite facts? I mentioned these as the types of matters people will need to discuss and deliberate upon. This is unrelated to the policy of any party, including Congress,” Pitroda stated in his post on X.
The Congress formally distanced itself from Pitroda’s remarks, indicating that his comments do not consistently align with the party’s perspective. Continuing the assault on the Congress manifesto, the Prime Minister remarked that the opposition party has perennially aimed to implement reservation on religious grounds.
“When the Congress manifesto was released, I remarked on the same day that the Congress manifesto bore the imprints of the Muslim League. During the drafting of the Constitution, under the guidance of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, it was decided that there would be no reservations based on religion in India. However, for the sake of the vote bank, Congress disregarded the words of these eminent individuals, disregarded the sanctity of the Constitution, nor heeded the words of Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” PM articulated.
“Years ago, Congress attempted to introduce religious-based reservations in Andhra Pradesh. Subsequently, Congress devised plans to roll it out nationwide. Congress advocated for reservations to be granted to specific individuals based on religion by appropriating a portion of the SC/ST and OBC quotas,” he appended.
He further expounded that “maladministration by the Congress culminated in the country’s devastation, whereas BJP is taking stringent measures against terrorism and Naxalism.” He also taunted Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for shedding tears over the 2008 Batla House encounter, as indicated by Salman Khurshid.
“Congress is endorsing those who propagate violence, hailing them as valiant souls. The paramount leader of this Congress sheds tears when terrorists meet their end. Such actions have eroded Congress’s credibility in the eyes of the nation,” he concluded.