Jaipur: Senior Supreme Court lawyer and former BJP leader Ram Jethmalani today said that Modi needs to dismiss Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley if he wanted to succeed in recovering black money.
“I am most disappointed man because Modi has put those men in charge of the work who will never be able to complete it. The man ought to be dismissed if blackmoney needs to be recovered,” Jethmalani said.
The veteran lawyer said the Union Minister had been talking about bilateral double taxation avoidance treaties (DTAT) as the reason behind the inability to reveal the names of Indians who hold illegal foreign bank accounts. “This man needs to be dismissed right away,” the 92-year-old lawyer said.
“I had said that I am living in departure lounge of God's airport and I don't want anything from you but I wish you will fulfill all the promises you made to people of the country. But as far as the black money row is concerned I am most disappointed in him,” he said, Jethmalani was in conversation with author Shobha De and journalist Madhu Trehan during a session titled “The Devil's advocate: Ram Jethmalani.”
Jethmalani said he had supprted Modi all through the election campaign. “I just had two things on my bucket list. One was to see the previous government being thrown out of gear and am very happy that I have succeed and my efforts have partially contributed to it and second to see black money being recovered,” he said.
The lawyer said he had written to Jaitley in October last year accusing him of taking an “ill-advised” stand on the issue in the apex court.
Recalling how BJP leader LK Advani wrote to him from jail appreciating one of his arguments presented by him in a case, Jethamalni said, “L K Advani is the most ungrateful man because he is party to my expulsion from the party.”
“When elections were near there were many hurdles inside the BJP. Everyone wanted to be the Prime Minister and they all were rivals of themselves. One issue they were united on was that Ram has to be silenced and thrown out of the party,” Jethmalani said.
The noted lawyer was suspended from the BJP party after he opposed a second term for Gadkari as BJP president. “Our society undoubtedly suffers from disease of corruption. I don't deny hat corruption has crept into judiciary. I swear that considered to other sectors of society judges are still angels,” he said appreciating the role of judiciary in the country.
When asked if he had any case he regretted getting involved with, Jethmalani said, “None.”
