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

banks

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) The BJP and the CPI todaymounted pressure on the Government to make public identitiesof all those Indians who have stashed huge amounts of blackmoney in Swiss banks.

In Anand (Gujarat), senior BJP leader L K Advani hopedthe Supreme Court hearing a petition in this regard would takeappropriate steps and force the Government to bring the moneyback.

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

Claiming that about Rs 21 lakh thousand crore had beendeposited in Swiss banks, Gadkari said instead of trying tosuppress facts, the government should publicise the namesparticularly after the WikiLeaks report on the matter.

"Any reluctance in declaring the names of Swiss bankaccount holders will simply raise doubts about the integrityof 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 thosewho have accounts abroad... The country has a right to knowand expects the names to be made public," BJP spokespersonRavi Shankar Prasad said in Delhi.

Other than the PIL in the Supreme Court, the issue ofIndian black money stashed abroad is in the news after aformer Swiss banker gave details of 2,000 such account holdersfrom the US, Britain and Asia to WikiLeaks founder JulianAssange.

The CPI demanded that Government initiate action toconfiscate the money and bring it back to the country.

"All these accounts should be confiscated and used forthe common good of the nation. CPI demands that the governmentshould take up the issue with the Swiss Banks Association andSwiss government immediately and settle it," a statement bythe party''s Central Secretariat said here..

The Left party asked the people to agitate and pressurise the government to announce the list of depositorsand confiscate the amount.

Maintaining that its MPs had raised this issue inParliament in 2009, it demanded that an estimated Rs 72,000lakh crore worth of alleged deposits of Indians kept in theSwiss banks should be confiscated.

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

Taking note of the WikiLeaks decision to release thelist 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 thanthe economy of the country. This needs to be brought out. Itis said that every year more than 34,000 people from India arevisiting Switzerland and some of them more than two to fourtimes. Why the government does not enquire into these details?Whom do they want to defend," the party asked.

Seeking to counter the BJP charge, Congressspokesperson Manish Tewari said if any facts have emerged inthe 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 andthe facts have been put before the Supreme Court. Therefore,if the BJP has any respect for institutions, it should refrainfrom continuous commentary on a matter which will be coming upbefore the court tomorrow," he said.