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| Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani greets journalists during a press conference prior to his anti-corruption yatra, or journey, in New Delhi yesterday |
“The names of those holding accounts in tax havens abroad and Swiss banks should be publicly disclosed. I have reason to believe that recently disclosures have been made to the government with regard to accounts held by Indians in one of the leading Swiss banks,” Advani said.
Advani, who is launching a Jan Chetna Yatra (public awareness campaign) today, alleged that facts have been held back even from the Enforcement Directorate, and that the Income Tax department had been asked to quietly deal with the issue to bury it.
“I understand that the Income Tax department has been asked to quietly deal with this issue and put a lid on the whole matter. The facts have been held back even from the Enforcement Directorate,” Advani said.
“I demand to know whether it is factually correct that the details of the accounts held in one of the Swiss banks have already been provided to the government of India because of the disclosures made by a whistle blower and the names are not being made public to save embarrassment on account of a few selected individuals,” Advani said.
He said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) when in power had made efforts to get the black money back, but Switzerland had said at the time that it had laws on banking secrecy, which could not be interfered with.
Advani said the Swiss government relaxed its norms after the US and European governments exerted pressure following the economic downturn and effort was made at the level of the United Nations.
He said there was lack of leadership in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, due to which the anger of the people had increased on issues like price rise and corruption.
“In the last few years, the anger among people has increased because of rise in prices, corruption and other issues and there is no doubt the reason is lack of leadership in the UPA,” he said.
In the past, Advani has accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of weak leadership.
Advani, while not ruling himself out as a prime ministerial candidate, said a decision would be taken by the party at an appropriate time.
He said there was no dearth of leaders in the BJP.
“Who will be prime minister, the party will decide when the time comes. Three years are still left for the elections. However, the government has been run in a way that it can fall anytime. People are tolerating it,” Advani said.
Advani, 83, had sought to put at rest speculation about his yatra being linked to prime ministerial sweepstakes in the BJP after he met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur last month.
“I became a swayamsevak of the Sangh, then a member of Jan Sangh and then the BJP,” Advani said. “I feel what I have got from these organisations, from my colleagues, from the country, is much more than the post of prime minister,” Advani had said after meeting Bhagwat to seek his blessings for the yatra.
The Jan Chetna Yatra will focus on good governance and clean politics and pass through 18 states and some union territories. It will culminate in Delhi on November 20 after covering almost 12,000km - about 300km a day.