Cong reminds Ramdev of black money issue

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 29

As many as 2,000 Congress activists participated in a ‘Satyagraha’ at the Subash ghat near Har-ki-Pauri here today to seek a reply from yoga guru Ramdev over the black money issue.

Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay, former Almora MP Pradeep Tamta, state Congress women’s wing president Sarojini Kainthura led the protest.

Upadhyay questioned Ramdev’s silence over the black money issue as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre had failed to bring back black money stashed in foreign countries.

“During the election campaign, Ramdev held nationwide meetings under the Bharat Swabhiman Trust on the black money issue. He used to say the BJP was the only party that could bring back black money in 100 days,” Upadhyay said.

Narendra Modi had also boasted during election meetings that black money stashed in foreign banks abroad would be brought back to India within 60 days of his party coming to power at the Centre. Now, the NDA government had submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court that it could not reveal the names of foreign bank account holders. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP national president Amit Shah had made statements that it was tough to reveal the names of the account holders, said Upadhyay.

“Ramdev should give a clarification and explanation to the people of the country. He called Narendra Modi a savior, but now both are silent on the black money issue,” he added.

Former Almora MP Pradeep Tamta said the Congress always cared for farmers, but the BJP was only working for the interests of corporate houses.

City Congress president OP Chauhan said the BJP came to power by luring voters with false promises.

Congress committee treasurer Braham Swarup Brahmachari, district Congress president Chaudhary Rajendra Singh, Mandi Samiti chairperson Sanjay Chopra, former municipal committee chairperson Satpal Brahmachari, women city president Vimla Pandey, JP Pandey, Purushottam Sharma, Sanjay Paliwal, youth wing president Ram Vishal Dev and a large number of leaders from all Assembly segments of the Haridwar parliamentary constituency took part in the protest.