inheritance tax: Rajiv Gandhi abolished inheritance law to evade tax after Indira’s death, same Congress now wants to tax your kids: PM Narendra Modi

Continuing its attack against Congress and Gandhi family over wealth redistribution and inheritance tax, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today alleged that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ended inheritance tax to get assets from her deceased mother Indira Gandhi and himself evaded inheritance tax. Modi said that the same Congress now wants to impose the inheritance tax on tax payers to snatch away their properties, assets.
“Today I want to present an interesting fact before the country. When former PM Indira ji died, the property owned by her was to be given to her children. But earlier there was a law that the government used to take a share before they got it. To save his property, the then Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi abolished the earlier Inheritance Law,” PM Modi said in a rally in Morena.

Earlier yesterday, PM Modi attacked Congress for remarks made by Congress leader Sam Pitroda regarding inheritance tax. Pitroda’s statements ignited a fresh wave of debate surrounding the notion of wealth redistribution, with Modi seizing the opportunity to assail the opposition party’s stance.

In his election rallies, Modi cited Pitroda’s comments as indicative of the Congress’ purported agenda of “looting” the people. He accused the party of straying far from the nation’s social and familial values by advocating for measures that would allegedly strip individuals of their hard-earned assets and savings intended for their children.

The Congress swiftly moved into damage control mode, with senior party members distancing themselves from Pitroda’s remarks. Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary and head of the communication department, emphasized that Pitroda’s views were articulated within the context of the United States and held no relevance to the Congress’ agenda in India.”Sensationalizing his comments now and tearing them out of context are deliberate and desperate attempts at diverting attention away from Mr. Narendra Modi’s malicious and mischievous election campaign,” Ramesh stated.Pitroda clarified his position, stating that his reference to inheritance tax was merely illustrative and not reflective of any party policy. He lamented the distortion of his remarks by certain media outlets.Despite the Congress’ attempts to contain the fallout, the BJP seized upon Pitroda’s comments to mount a fierce offensive against the opposition party. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized the Congress’ purported agenda of imposing taxes both during individuals’ lifetimes and after their demise, characterizing it as “tax terrorism.”

The BJP also highlighted past statements made by Congress leaders in support of inheritance tax, seeking to expose what they deemed as the Congress’ duplicity on the issue.

In response to the BJP’s onslaught, Congress leaders reiterated that their manifesto did not advocate for wealth redistribution but instead emphasized the need for comprehensive socio-economic policies.

As the political skirmish intensified, Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress of pursuing appeasement politics and neglecting the interests of India’s marginalized communities.

With the second phase of Lok Sabha elections looming, the rhetoric between the BJP and the Congress is poised to escalate further, underscoring the contentious nature of economic policy in the ongoing electoral discourse.