PM Narendra Modi on Thursday said Rajiv Gandhi abolished inheritance tax after Indira Gandhi’s death in 1984 to save “their wealth from going into the hands of government”. The same Congress, Modi claimed, wants to bring back the inheritance tax if they come to power.
Modi, at a campaign rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena, where voting will take place on May 7, doubled down on redistribution of people’s wealth and the inheritance tax. “I want to put forth an interesting fact. When Indira Gandhi passed away, there was a law by virtue of which half of the wealth used to go to the government. There were talks then that Indiraji willed her wealth in her son Rajiv Gandhi’s name,” Modi told the gathering. “To save their money from going to the government, Rajiv Gandhi abolished the inheritance tax,” the PM said.
Modi said Congress is indulging in appeasement politics as their government in Karnataka had declared the Muslim community as OBCs in the State. This way, the Congress wants to snatch reservations meant for the OBC, he alleged.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dared the Prime Minister to prove his “irresponsible allegations” or apologise to the nation. “Where has the Congress stated that it would take away reservations from backward classes and SC/STs to give them to Muslims? Which State government under the Congress has implemented such a policy? Is there any official government document related to this? PM Modi must present all these details before the nation,” he said.
At another rally in Shahjahanpur of UP, Modi described former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his ally Akhilesh Yadav as “do shehzade” (two princes)“ from whom, he said, you cannot expect development. “’Do ladkon ki jodi’” (a pair of boys) have joined hands for doing politics of appeasement, he stated.