Pitroda’s clarification came after the Congress party distanced itself from his remarks and after the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders slammed him over his remarks on the redistribution of wealth.
Pitroda had in an interview reportedly advocated a US-type inheritance tax law in the country, even as the Congress party said his views do not always reflect the position of the party. Inheritance tax refers to state levy on the assets an individual receives as part of an inheritance. There is no central inheritance tax in the US. Some states of the country have it though.
Pitroda’s comments sparked a political row in election year with top BJP leaders including the Prime Minister and the Home Minister hitting out the Congress party. Addressing a poll rally at Chhattisgarh’s Surguja, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the Congress party on Pitroda’s remarks and said the grand old party’s ‘dangerous intentions’ in the election manifesto are coming out in the open.
What did Sam Pitroda say on April 23?
Pitroda on April 23 seemingly backed Congress party’s stand on redistribution of wealth and advocated an inheritance tax law in the country while elaborating on the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in the United States. The statement assumes significance because Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused Congress of planning to redistribute the wealth of people among ‘those with more children,’ a charge that was denied by the grand old party.
“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 an interview.
Also Read: Sam Pitroda on inheritance tax controversy: ‘Who said this should be done in India? Why is the BJP in panic?’
This is not the first time that Pitroda, considered close to Gandhi family, has put the Congress party in the dock. Many of his previous statements didn’t go well with his party while being criticised by the BJP.
‘Hua to Hua’ (so what) on 1984 anti-Sikh riots
In May 2019, Pitroda when questions on 1984 anti-Sikh riots set off a storm by replying ‘so what’ to a question on alleged involvement of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
“Ab kya hai ’84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. ’84 mein hua to hua. You were voted to create jobs. You were voted to create 200 smart cities. Aapne wo bhi nahi kiya. Aapne kuch nahi kiya isliye aap yahan wahan gup lagate hain. (What about 1984 (riots) now? Talk about what you did in the last 5 years. What happened in 1984 has happened. So what? You were voted to create jobs. You were voted to create 200 smart cities. You did not even do that. You did nothing so you keep talking about here and there) Pitroda had said in response to a question on BJP’s allegation that the instructions during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 came from Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s office.
The remarks during the Lok Sabha Elections sparked a political row with Prime Minister Narendra Modi linking comment to Rahul Gandhi. Pitroda is considered Rahul Gandhi’s advisor. Pitroda later apologised while the Congress issued a clarification. Rahul Gandhi condemned the comments and said Pitroda should apologise.
‘Happens all the time’ on Pulwama attack
In February 2019, Pitroda had questioned the veracity of Balakot air strikes by the Indian Air Force in the aftermath of the Pulwama attacks. Pitroda pitched for a dialogue with Pakistan and said it was wrong to blame all citizens of the neighboring country for an attack in which a few were involved “I don’t know much about attacks. It happens all the time. Attack happened in Mumbai also. We could have then reacted and just sent our planes but that is not right approach. According to me that’s not how you deal with world,” Pitroda said, demanding proof of the IAF’s operation.
Also Read: PM Modi says Congress wants to give people’s wealth to Muslims. Fact check on what Nyay Patra actually says…
“Eight people (26/11 terrorists) come and do something, you don’t jump on entire nation (Pakistan). Naive to assume that just because some people came here and attacked, every citizen of that nation is to be blamed. I don’t believe in that way,” he had said. The remarks elicited response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who accused Congress was known for indulging in vote bank politics.
“But can this be above national interest?” the PM asked targeting Rahul Gandhi.
Temples won’t create jobs on Ram Mandir
In June 2023, Pitroda again sparked a row when he said that temples were not going to solve India’s problems of unemployment, education and health. “We have a problem with unemployment, inflation, education and health. No one talks about these things. But everyone talks about Ram, Hanuman and Mandir. I have said that temples are not going to create jobs,” Pitroda said at an event in the US. Rahul Gandhi was also present on the occasion.
The remarks were criticised by the BJP with its leaders calling Pitroda and Rahul Gandhi of being ‘Hinduphobic’. Congress distanced itself from the statement saying his comments do not reflect party’s stand.
Nehru, no Ambedkar on Constitution.
In January 2024, the BJP called Congress an ‘anti-Dalit’ party, after Pitroda said that Jawaharlal Nehru contributed more to the drafting of the constitution than BR Ambedkar.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections: Targeting PM Modi, BJP would lead to retaliation, says Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand
Pitroda had shared an article by by Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former close aide of BJP veteran LK Advani, asserting that India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru contributed more than BR Ambedkar in the framing of the Constitution.
Pitroda later delated the post. Kulkarni is no longer with the BJP.
‘Selfish middle-class’ on NYAY scheme
Pitroda had left the Congress party in a soup in April 2019 when he said that the middle class should not be selfish and, instead, be prepared to shell out more taxes to fund the party’s proposed NYAY, a scheme promising a guarantee minimum income for every poor household.
“The middle class should not be selfish and have a big heart,” he said during a TV interview As expected, Pitroda’s remarks set off a row with senior party leaders responding to clear the air. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said there will be no increase in the tax burden of the middle class and Rahul Gandhi also clarified that funds for the NYAY scheme will not come from people’s taxes.
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Published: 24 Apr 2024, 01:18 PM IST