News Report

Nirmala Sitharaman attacks P Chidambaram over corruption, dares Rahul Gandhi to act

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hit at Congress leader P Chidambaram over the charge sheets filed against him for allegedly failing to disclose foreign assets and dared Congress president Rahul Gandhi to act against him.

At a press conference held in BJP’s central office in New Delhi, Sitharaman said this was ‘Congress’ Nawaz Sharif moment’ — referring to the former Pakistan prime minister’s ouster from public office in 2017 following his conviction in the undisclosed foreign assets case — and said that Rahul, who is out on bail in the National Herald case, should make it clear if he is going to act as head of the Congress.

Sitharaman said Chidambaram, his wife Nalini, son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi along with a firm linked to Karti — Chess Global — have been accused of not revealing, either partly or fully, immovable assets worth Rs 5.37 crore, property worth Rs 80 lakh in the United Kingdom and assets worth Rs 3.28 crore in the United States.

Sitharaman, recalling her government’s stance over black money said, “In pursuit of black money, time was given to disclose the assets and bring them to public notice. If convicted, the Act will levy 120 percent tax and penalty on the undisclosed assets and income. And when proven guilty, it will invite jail term”.
Meanwhile, BJP chief Amit Shah also took to Twitter to target Chidambaram: “Under the black money Act, four charge sheets have been filed against P Chidambaram and his family for possessing and operating several illegal assets and accounts in foreign countries. I-T estimates illegal assets held by UPA’s finance minister to be to the tune of three billion dollars.”

“This explains why despite Supreme Court’s orders Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and then finance minister P Chidambaram dragged their feet on the formation of SIT, one of the first decisions taken by Modi government to fight black money! How could they indict their own selves?” Shah further tweeted in a scathing attack on the Opposition.

The Income Tax Department issued four charge sheets against Chidambaram’s wife Nalini, son Karti and his wife Srinidhi under Section 50 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, on 11 May 2018, in a Chennai city court and the family members have been summoned by the department for questioning on 11 June.

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