Ajay Maken exposing BJP

PRESS RELEASE    2

SNAPSHOT OF INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT WEBSITE    5

Double Taxation Agreements (DTAA) executed during BJP’s time    6

PRESS RELEASE

Ajay Maken slams Modi Government for its double speak on black money- charges BJP with misleading people

October 18, 2014: Shri Ajay Maken, General Secretary AICC and Chairman Communication Department today slammed the Modi Government for its blatant U turn over the issue of disclosing the names of black money account holders in the Supreme Court and accused it of misleading the people on the issue by resorting to lame alibis. While Shri Modi and his colleagues had used the issue of black money in an unprecedented manner to fool the people in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections by making false promises, it was now reneging on every promise made, he said.

Having achieved the political gains, the Government was now taking an entirely opposite position, vis-à-vis the entire issue. The contents of the affidavit that the Modi Government filed before the Supreme Court yesterday (17^th October, 2014), is completely opposite to their stance before the election. In the last five years the BJP and its activist friends had made a big political issue on the Black Money in foreign banks. They (BJP) claimed astronomical figures and accused the Congress of being unable to act on the issue, said Shri Maken.

As a reminder to the people of India the claims of the Shri Modi and his top cabinet colleagues when they were in opposition was exposed by reading out their statements on this issue. The statements are given below:

S. No.	STATEMENT	BJP LEADER	DATE
1.	“The government’s argument that it can reveal the names to the Supreme Court but not to the public due to double taxation is baseless.”	Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad	18.1.2011
2.	Claiming that about Rs 21 lakh thousand crore had been deposited in Swiss banks, Gadkari said, “Any reluctance in declaring the names of Swiss bank account holders will simply raise doubts about the integrity of people at the helm.”	Mr. Nitin Gadkari	18.1.2011
3.	What is the problem and reluctance in the Congress in revealing the names. 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.	Mr. Ravi Shanker Prasad	18.1.2011
4.	The government has lot to hide and that’s why they said that it won’t be in public interest to reveal the names of those who have foreign bank accounts. This is what they told the Supreme Court. What is the public interest in hiding these names?	Mr. Ravi Shanker Prasad	2011
5.	Instead of trying to suppress facts, the government should publicise the names particularly after the Weakileaks report on the matter. “UPA Government should, without any hesitation, make public names of all those who have stashed black money in Swiss Bank accounts,” Told in Bhubaneshwar.	Mr. Nitin Gadkari	18.1.2011
	“The government has consistently failed to bring back Indian black money. This is because the government is merely engaged in cover-up. The government is trying to justify this by saying it has signed double taxation avoidance agreements with these countries,” Javadekar said.	Mr. Prakash Javadekar	4.7.2011
7.	At National Security Council today, I asked “why is the Money Laundering Act not being used to track black money abroad”	Mr. Narendra Modi	1.2.2011
8.	Opposition BJP, which has been consistently raising the issue of black money, on 2nd Nov, 2011 demanded that the government come out with names of the 700 Indians, who allegedly have secret accounts in a bank in Geneva.	Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman	2.11.2011

Shri Maken charged the BJP claiming that, the affidavit submitted by the Government in the SC contradicts the farce campaign run by the BJP when they were in the opposition. He demanded an explanation from the Shri Modi and asked him to fulfil his promise, by bringing back the black money immediately and as promised distribute 15 lacs each to all citizens. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who when in opposition claimed that Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) was an excuse being used by the Congress Government to evade the issue of Black Money, must explain the affidavit in which he justifies the same clause! Finance Minister Shri Jaitley, who was then the Law Minister, has forgotten that his own Government had signed 14 such DTAA agreements and included the confidentiality clause, which is now being used as an alibi! Nor did they amend the confidentiality clause while amending the 3 DTAA agreements during their regime, including the one with Switzerland, said Shri Maken.

While the statements in the run up to elections with regards to DTAA was as elaborated in the table above. The Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley took a completely contradictory stand in front of the press yesterday describing the DTAA as a “constrain” and “stumbling block”. In the further contradiction that exposes the lies of the Modi Government the affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on 17^th October, 2014 has two very important points that need special attention:

1. The BJP Government in an affidavit before the Supreme Court of India has stated that international forums raised concerns that whether disclosure of black money information would amount to violation of international standards on maintaining confidentiality and demanded lowering of rating of India. (Pg. 12 of the affidavit)
2. Under the terms of the treaties, the information can be quoted from the court files or decisions but no directions can be given to the government to disclose all documents or information received. (Pg. 18 of the affidavit)

Shri Maken concluded by adding that the Modi Government came to power on the basis of false propaganda and false promises. The country is looking forward to see how swiftly and early they deliver on all the promises. He further said that now the credibility of Shri Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev and Smt Kiran Bedi is at stake if they do not agitate on this issue (black money) against the BJP Government.

SNAPSHOT OF INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT WEBSITE

On 18^th Oct, 2014 Shri Jaitley said that – “And the due process of law has been constrained by DTAA (Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement) which was entered into between India and Germany when the Congress Party was in power on June 19, 1995”

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Complete records of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements signed in year the 1995

Double Taxation Agreements (DTAA) executed during BJP’s time

S. No.	Country	Date of Notification of DTAA Agreement	Confidentiality clause
	Austria	20-9-2001	Yes
	Belarus	17-7-1998	Yes
	Belgium	19-1-2001	Yes
	Czech Republic	8-12-1999	Yes
	France (amended)	10-7-2000	Yes
	Hashemite	8-12-1999	Yes
	Kyrgyz	7-2-2001	Yes
	Morocco	15-3-2000	Yes
	Namibia	8-3-1999	Yes
	Netherlands (amended)	30-8-1999	Yes
	Portugal	16-6-2000	Yes
	Qatar	8-2-2000	Yes
	Russia	21-8-1998	Yes
	South Africa	21-4-1998	Yes
	Swiss confederation (amended)	7-2-2001	Yes
	Trinidad and Tobago	26-10-1999	Yes
	Ukraine	11-1-2002	Yes

• Total DTAA agreements entered till date – 92
• Agreements executed by BJP Government – 17 (out of which 3 were amendments to existing agreements).

Source: https://ajaymakenblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/bjp-exposed-on-black-money/