Close X
Saturday, November 16, 2024
ADVT 
India

Swiss Account Row: Amarinder Singh Rebuts Charge, Akalis Ask Him To Quit

Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Nov, 2015 01:16 PM
    Congress leader Amarinder Singh on Wednesday rubbished the issue of Swiss bank notice to his wife and son and attacked the Narendra Modi government for "seeking selective information" even as Punjab's ruling Akali Dal demanded he quit politics for allegedly amassing undisclosed wealth abroad.
     
    Swiss bank authorities have asked Amarinder's wife and former union minister Preneet Kaur and son, Raninder Singh, to exercise their "right to be heard" before sharing information on bank accounts in Switzerland which has been sought by Indian tax authorities.
     
    Amarinder Singh, the Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha and former Punjab chief minister, in a statement, questioned the timing and the motive of the central government in "seeking selective information from the Swiss authorities about the purported account details" of his wife and son.
     
    "Despite my wife and son having already furnished all the details and answers, to all questions raised by the Income Tax department of the Government of India, from time to time, the Government of India with an obvious questionable motive wanted to highlight this particular case," he said in a release issued here.
     
     
    "The matter of 'foreign bank accounts' is pending before Income Tax Authorities since 2011 where it has been clearly stated that neither my wife, nor my son or me have any foreign bank account," he clarified, while pointing out, that the Swiss authorities in their notification have nowhere stated that Preneet Kaur and Raninder Singh have Swiss bank account(s).
     
    "This notification is a matter of procedure to be followed in respect of individuals whose names are sent by Indian government enquiring about accounts," he noted, terming it a "desperate attempt" of the central government and the Bharatiya Janata Party to malign his image before 2017 Punjab assembly polls.
     
    This was done to clearly help its beleaguered partner, Akali Dal, in Punjab, he alleged.
     
    Akali Dal leaders demanded he quit politics and face the law.
     
    "Congress leader Amarinder Singh to quit politics and face the law of the land as an ordinary criminal for misusing politics as a shield for amassing corrupt wealth and siphoning off billions of dollars through fraudulent accounts in Swiss banks," senior Akali leaders Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Prem Singh Chandumajra and Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal said in a statement here.
     
     
    "A person and family facing such grave allegations of personal dishonesty have no right to be in public life," the Akali Dal leaders said.
     
    The Federal Tax Administration (FTA) of Switzerland has given 10 days time to Preneet Kaur to file an appeal for exercise of the right to be heard. She had earlier denied having any account in her name with any foreign bank.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    SGPC, Sikh Groups See Red In 'Nanak Shah Fakir' And Sikh-Related Films

    SGPC, Sikh Groups See Red In 'Nanak Shah Fakir' And Sikh-Related Films
    Bollywood and other films showing anything to do with the Sikh religion or portraying characters as Sikhs are running into trouble with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikh religion, and other Sikh groups.

    SGPC, Sikh Groups See Red In 'Nanak Shah Fakir' And Sikh-Related Films

    Emergency Evacuation From Jet Flight In Khajuraho

    Emergency Evacuation From Jet Flight In Khajuraho
    The 59 passengers and eight crew members of a Jet Airways flight from Varanasi faced a major scare Tuesday and were subject to emergency evacuation Monday when their aircraft developed a technical snag while landing at Khajuraho.

    Emergency Evacuation From Jet Flight In Khajuraho

    After Saina, Sania's Turn To Hit The Top

    After Saina, Sania's Turn To Hit The Top
    Just three days after Saina Nehwal was deposed as World No.1 badminton player in only a week, her Hyderabad citymate Sania Mirza ascended to the throne on Sunday as the tennis world’s top doubles player.

    After Saina, Sania's Turn To Hit The Top

    Man Stabbed To Death For Demanding Unnatural Sex

    Man Stabbed To Death For Demanding Unnatural Sex
    A 40-year-old man was stabbed to death here by a youth for allegedly demanding unnatural sex, police said on Monday.

    Man Stabbed To Death For Demanding Unnatural Sex

    Delhi To Launch Drive Against Overloaded Vehicles

    Delhi To Launch Drive Against Overloaded Vehicles
    Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Monday said the Delhi transport department in collaboration with the transport departments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana will conduct a drive against overloaded vehicles from April 15.

    Delhi To Launch Drive Against Overloaded Vehicles

    A Kashmiri Home We Left Behind 25 Years Ago - For Good

    A Kashmiri Home We Left Behind 25 Years Ago - For Good
    I have always found it tedious to answer the question: "Which is your hometown?" Not because I am a daughter of an army officer or belong to a family of travellers, but because "I was born in Srinagar and was brought up in Jammu." 

    A Kashmiri Home We Left Behind 25 Years Ago - For Good