IS ADVANI’S TIRADE AGAINST SWISS BANK ACCOUNTS TO SIGNAL DEARERS? APPREHENDS YECHURY

From India News Network (INN)
Bhagalpur, April 27: CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury today expressed his apprehension that Advani’s tirade against Swiss Bank Accounts, unless substantiated by BJP’s policy commitment, could mean to send signals to those who have stashed away the money in Swiss bank accounts. He feared that this tirade with out policy commitment would only help those involved to take precautionary measures to save themselves.

Yechury attended election campaign meetings in Bhagalpur parliamentary constituency where CPI (M) is contesting in alliance with other Left parties in Bihar. He addressed public meetings at Kahalgoan, Nathnagar, both head quarters of assembly constituencies and in Supaul, another parliamentary constituency where CPI (M) candidate is seeking mandate.

Yechury reiterated CPI (M)’s stand that BJP should expressly commit itself for effective taxation on speculative capital gains through Long Term Capital Gains tax, Securities Transaction Tax, launching drive against black money in Swiss accounts including what is stashed away in various tax heavens, reviewing double tax avoidance treaty to plug the Mauritius route, prohibiting participatory notes, and reversing any move towards Full Capital Convertibility. He opined that unless BJP comes clean on these aspects, a secrecy veil would persist about its apparent concern.

Responding to criticism that the proposed non-Congress secular alternative would provide more political space to BJP, he said that it is the omissions and commissions of Congress that led BJP back to power in various states since 2004. He reminded that BJP could not open its account in three states, which are under Left dispensation for long. He also said that the experience of Kerala, Bengal and Tripura vindicate the fact that where ever Left is strong enough to provide a non-Congress secular alternative, BJP is kept off from legislative assemblies and the Parliament.

He appealed to the people of Bihar to join in the struggle for an alternative policy direction, that the country urgently requires. Unless the present dispensation is replaced by a non-Congress secular alternative, we can’t guarantee such an alternative policy direction. He asked the people of Bhagalpur and Bihar to renew their confidence by sending Left Front candidates to the parliament.

He discounted the criticism that political instability is inherent to Third Front politics by saying that earlier, instability under third front regimes was caused by forces supporting the front from out side. He also said that precisely because of this, CPI (M) is seeking a decisive mandate in favour of a non-Congress secular alternative. CPI (M) state secretariat member, Sarvodaya Sharma, and candidate Subodh Roy also addressed the public meetings.