BJP, CPI ask Govt to name those having black money in Swiss banks

In Anand (Gujarat), senior BJP leader L K Advani hoped the Supreme Court hearing a petition in this regard would take appropriate steps and force the Government to bring the money back.

In Bhubaneshwar, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said, "UPA Government should, without any hesitation, make public names of all those who have stashed black money in Swiss Bank accounts."

Claiming that about Rs 21 lakh thousand crore had been deposited in Swiss banks, Gadkari said instead of trying to suppress facts, the government should publicise the names particularly after the WikiLeaks report on the matter.

"Any reluctance in declaring the names of Swiss bank account holders will simply raise doubts about the integrity of people at the helm," he said.Asked if names of BJP leaders may appear in the list, Gadkari said action must be taken without any consideration.
"Why this dogged refusal to reveal the names of those who have accounts abroad... The country has a right to know and expects the names to be made public," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Delhi.

Other than the PIL in the Supreme Court, the issue of Indian black money stashed abroad is in the news after a former Swiss banker gave details of 2,000 such account holders from the US, Britain and Asia to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The CPI demanded that Government initiate action to confiscate the money and bring it back to the country.

"All these accounts should be confiscated and used for the common good of the nation. CPI demands that the government should take up the issue with the Swiss Banks Association and Swiss government immediately and settle it," a statement by the party's Central Secretariat said here. The Left party asked the people to agitate and pressurise the government to announce the list of depositors and confiscate the amount.
Maintaining that its MPs had raised this issue in Parliament in 2009, it demanded that an estimated Rs 72,000 lakh crore worth of alleged deposits of Indians kept in the Swiss banks should be confiscated.

"There is no action yet from government. In the recent days, the amount of money is alleged to be Rs 280 lakh crore (kept as) deposits from Indians. Though Swiss banks association claimed that it is an exaggeration, they have refused to divulge the real amount," the statement said.

Taking note of the WikiLeaks decision to release the list of such deposit holders including depositors from the US, Europe and Asia, it said it "may be a partial list".

"The black money, unaccounted money, is much more than the economy of the country. This needs to be brought out. It is said that every year more than 34,000 people from India are visiting Switzerland and some of them more than two to four times. Why the government does not enquire into these details? Whom do they want to defend," the party asked.

Seeking to counter the BJP charge, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said if any facts have emerged in the public space relating to accounts held by Indians abroad, it was because the UPA government pursued the issue.

"There are certain legal issues which are involved and the facts have been put before the Supreme Court. Therefore, if the BJP has any respect for institutions, it should refrain from continuous commentary on a matter which will be coming up before the court tomorrow," he said.