Cuttack, Oct 25: BJP leader L K Advani has demanded a status document from the UPA on what steps it had taken to bring back black money stashed in foreign banks.
“The Parliament and above all, the people of this country should know what steps had been taken by the Centre to bring back around Rs 25 lakh crore black money kept by Indians in the Swiss banks,” Advani said here demanding a white paper on the issue.
He continued his tirade against the Congress-led government's “silence” over the issue and said sincere efforts need to be made to bring back the “huge money”.
Each penny of this money should be spent for the development of around six lakh villages across the country, he said.
“The amount would be more than enough to see a developed rural India where each village would have electricity, clean drinking water, schools and better health facilities,” he said.
He also suggested that the government in New Delhi should take the opportunity of a new Act promulgated in Switzerland (Restitution of Illegal Assets Act) to bring back the black money to the country.
Advani did not utter a word about the prevailing corruption in Orissa and he chose not to speak about the speculations that are rife about the prospective revival of alliance between BJP and the ruling BJD in the state.
Although, the BJP Orissa unit chief Jual Oram at the beginning of the Cuttack meeting touched the contentious issue reminding Advani about the manner in which BJD ditched the party during the 2009 elections, he however, left it to the central leadership to take the “ultimate decision.”
Advani on the other hand was elated and said he was surprised over the support and enthusiasm his Yatra received in Orissa saying his ongoing Jan Chetana Yatra has received more appreciation than all his previous six Rath Yatras. He attributed the same to strong “rashtra bhakta” belief among the people of the country.
The BJP leader also had a word of appreciation on the thriving of parliamentary democracy in India despite the poor illiteracy rate in the country.
“Contrary to the belief by some world thinkers that parliamentary democracy would not survive in India after it gained Independence in 1947 for its crores of illiterate people, India has shown that its people have a better understanding about it,” Advani pointed out.
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