PNB scam has taken the nation by storm and Bollywood celebrities too, are concerned about their tax money. Celebs such as Rishi Kapoor, Richa Chadha, Vivek Agnihotri and others have raised questions about the major banking fraud carried out by billionaire diamond trader Nirav Modi, who fled the country in January.
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, known for his quirky tweets on political issues, wrote on Friday: "What I cannot understand is that a bank loans Rs 11,300 crore ( $1.8 billion) since 2011 to someone, and no inquiries took place during that period? Only proves 'All that sparkle are not diamonds'. Lot of skeletons in the cupboard and lots of hands in lots of gloves!"
Actress Richa Chadha commented: "Bro! We pay 30.9 per cent income tax, 18 per cent GST and VAT on everything we buy. But Nirav Modi gets way with Rs 11,000 crore. My CA won't be happy, but why the hell should I pay tax? So someone steals and gets away with it again?"
Photographer and producer Atul Kasbekar and ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan shared an SMS that is doing the rounds in the midst of the news about the scam. "Finding NiMo - movie by Punjab National Bank," they tweeted.
Ra.One director Anubhav Sinha asked one "quick, cute, innocent question" - "Was Nirav Modi's bank account linked to his Aadhaar."
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has three "simple" questions - "Why are these corrupt businessmen fleeing the country, despite a friendly Narendra Modi as PM? Why didn't they flee earlier when their Enemy No. 1, honest Sonia Gandhi was ruling the country? Where is Raghuram Rajan these days?"
Even writer Devdutt Pattanaik made his point. "Those who don't care for the law are always loyal to the KING. Those who care for the law always loyal to the KINGDOM. Notice: Political parties of India (and their NRI cheerleaders) are loyal to individuals and families rather than the country.
Meanwhile, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, the global brand ambassador for Nirav Modi, is seeking legal opinion to terminate her contract after the jeweller was accused of committing the fraud. Actor Sidharth Malhotra too was associated with the brand, but his contract ended last year.
(With IANS inputs)
