Bring back Indian money from Swiss banks: Ramdev
The Hindu
Haridwar (IANS): Yoga guru Swami Ramdev doesn’t just want candidates with a criminal background out from this year’s Lok Sabha election fray. He also wants the money deposited by Indians in Swiss banks back in India just as the Obama administration in the US has done.
“What are the policies of our national political parties when it comes to black money deposited in Swiss banks?” he asked in the course of an interaction with reporters on the sidelines of the foundation laying ceremony of a mega food park his Patanjali Yog Peeth is setting up near here with aid from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
“If this money has to be brought back to India, then these parties should announce that they will bring this money back to India whatever it takes,” he said.
“This is one sureshot way through which one will know who is honest and who is not.”
The yoga guru’s latest salvo against politicians in the country comes close on the heels of a letter he sent to parties across the country in which he challenged them not to field candidates with criminal background in the general elections this year.
Ramdev said he was yet to receive a reply to this from any of these parties.
Challenging the parties to issue a statement on their stand on black money parked in Swiss banks, he said: “According to one estimate, money ranging from Rs.50-75 lakh crore ($1-1.5 trillion) is parked in Swiss bank accounts. So I dare them (political parties) to reply to this question. If they can’t reply that means the ranks of these parties are all dishonest, corrupt and they themselves have money deposited in Swiss bank accounts.”
Referring to the Barack Obama administration’s recent move to get details of Swiss bank accounts of American citizens, he said: “To bring about a change in its economy following the global meltdown and to bring in liquidity, the US has handed over a list of people with alleged financial irregularities to the internal revenue department. A federal commission there is seeking details of the accounts these people have in Swiss banks.”
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