New Delhi [India], April 25 : BJP leader and party's candidate from New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency Bansuri Swaraj criticised the Congress Party over the alleged plan to impose inheritance tax in the country and said that it is appalling that the Congress is talking about redistribution of wealth.
Talking to ANI, the BJP leader said, "What Mr Sam Pitroda has said about inheritance tax is appalling that they are talking about redistribution of wealth and they are talking about inheritance tax."
Hitting out at the opposition, she said that the BJP is talking about wealth creation whereas the Congress wants to loot the people of Bharat by talking about wealth redistribution.
"But on the other hand, if you see the Sankalp Patra of the BJP which is the Sankalp Patra of a 'Viksit Bharat'. BJP is talking about wealth creation. Congress is talking about wealth redistribution which is just a fancy way of saying that the Congress party wants to loot the people of Bharat," she said.
"First, they want to loot the people of Bharat by actually stealing away the wealth which they have generated through their hard work and then redistributing it amongst other people. Second, now even after death, they want to loot the people of Bharat by bringing in this inheritance tax. It is despicable and appalling. And I will tell you that the Bharat electorate, the people of Bharat is so intelligent that they will see through these ploys of the INDI alliance and they are going to ensure 'ab ki baar 400 paar, fir ek baar Modi sarkar'," the BJP leader added.
Earlier, Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda backed the party's stand on redistribution of wealth and advocated an inheritance tax law in the country. Emphasing the need for policy towards wealth redistribution, Pitroda elaborated on the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America.
"In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair," Pitroda said.
"In India, you don't have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing...So these are the kinds of issues people will have to debate and discuss. When we talk about redistributing wealth, we are talking about new policies and new programs that are in the interest of the people and not in the interest of the super-rich only," he added.
Pitroda also said that the subject of wealth distribution is strictly a 'policy issue' and he feels concerned about Prime Minister Modi after his remarks on the Congress manifesto.
"This is a policy issue. Congress party would frame a policy through which the wealth distribution would be better. We don't have a minimum wage (in India). If we come up with a minimum wage in the country saying you must pay so much money to the poor, that's the distribution of wealth. Today, rich people don't pay their peons, servants, and home help enough but they spend that money on vacation in Dubai and London...When you talk about the distribution of wealth, it is not that you sit on a chair and say I have this much money and I'll be distributing it to everybody," Pitroda said.