#LokSabhaElections2024 : Congress Hits Back At BJP Over Inheritance Tax Furore ; Party Releases Jayant Sinha’s Speech, Cites Arun Jaitley’s Firm Backing On The Issue

Amid the row over Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s remarks, the party has in sharp rebuttal asserted that it has no plans whatsoever to introduce an inheritance tax and cited former Union minister Jayant Sinha’s remarks to allege that it is the Modi government that wanted to do so.

Pitroda, the president of the Indian Overseas Congress, has talked about the inheritance tax law in the United States while answering a query on the “redistribution of wealth” issue.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the Congress has no plan whatsoever to introduce an inheritance tax. “In fact, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had abolished Estate Duty in 1985, he said, adding that it is the Modi government that has wanted to do so.”

He said, “Fact One: Jayant Sinha, then Minister of State for Finance, publicly stated that he wanted to introduce Inheritance Tax in 2014.
Fact Two: In 2017, reports emerged that the Modi Sarkar was going to re-introduce inheritance tax.
Fact Three: In 2018, the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley praised Inheritance Taxes for spurring large endowments to hospitals, universities in the West. Fact Four: News reports emerged that Modi Sarkar would introduce an Inheritance Tax in Union Budget 2019,” Ramesh said in the post.

“Over to you Prime Minister Modi – what is your party’s stance on this issue?” he said and shared media reports on former minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha and former finance minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks “in favour” of an inheritance tax.

Ramesh also shared a 15-minute speech by Sinha at the Forbes India Philanthropy Awards 2013 to claim that he was in favour of an inheritance tax.

“The Congress has no plan whatsoever to introduce an inheritance tax. In fact, Rajiv Gandhi abolished Estate Duty in 1985. Please listen to BJP MP Jayant Sinha, once MoS Finance in the Modi Sarkar, and later Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance. “He has spent 15 long minutes vehemently arguing in favour of an Inheritance Tax of 55%, like in the US,” Ramesh said. The Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s “inheritance tax” remarks, saying sensationalising them are attempts at diverting attention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “malicious” poll campaign.

Ramesh said Pitroda has been a mentor, friend, philosopher and guide to many across the world, and has made numerous and enduring contributions to India’s developments. “Mr Pitroda expresses his opinions freely on issues he feels strongly about. Surely, in a democracy an individual is at liberty to discuss, express, and debate his personal views. This does not mean that Mr Pitroda’s views always reflect the position of the Indian National Congress. Many times they do not.