Tag: Black Money

Mamata Banerjee calls on opposition parties to fight over demonetisation issue

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Raising her pitch against Centre on demonetisation of Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes, Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee called upon all opposition parties to unite and fight against the ‘political and financial anarchy’.

“May I appeal to all political parties in the Opposition to work together boldly against the anti-poor government at the Centre. Let us fight this political and financial anarchy together. We will be with you all,” Mamata Banerjee said in a statement on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Trinamool has given a notice in Rajya Sabha to discuss the issue on November 16.

Earlier, Didi tweeted: “I enquired from all sections of society about present financial chaos. The feeling is that black money was to be brought back from outside as per the electoral assurance. But now the government has made the common people feel helpless and penniless. Is it right?”

She also shared an example of how the demonitisation is affecting the marginalised section: “There are millions of real stories across cities, towns,villages about #NoteBan affecting the marginalised. Here is only one example. Tea garden owners have expressed difficulty to pay wages on time. This could lead to frustration among poor workers, most of whom are tribals. Desperation? Starvation?”

 

আর্থিক অরাজকতার প্রতিবাদে বিরোধী ঐক্যের ডাক মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের

কালো টাকার বিরুদ্ধে অভিযানের নামে পাঁচশো, হাজারের নোট বাতিল করে রাজনৈতিক, আর্থিক অরাজকতার সৃষ্টি করেছে কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার। বিপুল সমস্যায় পড়েছেন গরিব মানুষ। কেন্দ্রের এই গরিব বিরোধী সরকারের বিরুদ্ধে সব বিরোধীদলকে ঐক্যবদ্ধ আন্দোলনে যোগ দেওয়ার ডাক দিলেন তৃণমূল নেত্রী তথা বাংলার মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়।

বৃহস্পতিবার এই নিয়ে একাধিক টুইট করলেন তিনি। সব রাজনৈতিক দলকে সাহস করে আন্দোলনে যোগ দিতে বললেন। এই অর্থনৈতিক বিশৃঙ্খলার জন্য কে কীভাবে দুর্ভোগে পড়েছেন, সমাজের সব শ্রেণীর মানুষকে তা জানানোর কথাও লেখেন তিনি। লোকসভা নির্বাচনে বি জে পির প্রতিশ্রুতির কথা উল্লেখ করে টুইট করেন, কথা ছিল বিদেশে জমা করা কালো টাকা দেশে ফিরিয়ে আনা হবে। কিন্তু এখন দেখা যাচ্ছে দেশের সাধারণ, গরিব মানুষকেই অসহায়, কপর্দকশূণ্য বোধ করতে বাধ্য করা হচ্ছে। এই নোট বাতিলের জন্য শহরে, নগরে, গ্রামে কীভাবে সাধারণ মানুষ অসুবিধার মুখে পড়েছেন, তার একাধিক উদাহরণ পাওয়া যাচ্ছে। যেমন হাতে নগদ টাকা না থাকার জন্য চা বাগানের মালিকরা সময়ে মজুরি দিতে পারবেন না বলে জানিয়েছেন। এতে তো নিরাশা নেমে আসবে গরিব শ্রমিকদের মধ্যে। এর মধ্যে অনেকেই আদিবাসী। তাঁরা হয় অনাহারে কাটাতে বাধ্য হবেন, নয়ত মরিয়া হয়ে উঠবেন।

এর আগে নবান্ন থেকে একদফা বি জে পির বিরুদ্ধে তোপ দেগে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বলেন, “মানুষকে ব্ল্যাক মানি ফিরিয়ে দেওয়ার কথা বলেছিলেন, উল্টে লক্ষ্মীর ঝাঁপি কেড়ে নিলেন। একদিনে ক্ষতি হয়ে গেল ২৫ হাজার কোটি টাকা।” বি জে পি–র নাম না করে তিনি বলেন, “উত্তরপ্রদেশে ওরা হারবেই। তার জন্য নির্বাচনে কোনও টাকা খরচ করতে হবে না। মানুষ এটা ভালভাবে নেয়নি। ওদের জামানত বাজেয়াপ্ত হবে”।

তিনি আরও বলেন, “খুচরো না থাকায় সমস্যায় পড়েছেন মানুষ। আমার বাড়ির বাজার করা যায়নি। বললাম মুড়ি, আলুভাজা করো। চা–শ্রমিকরা দৈনিক মজুরি পাচ্ছেন না। মালিকেরা রাজ্য সরকারকে চিঠি দিয়েছে। মুখ্যমন্ত্রী এই চিঠি পেয়ে ক্ষোভ প্রকাশ করে বলেন, একজন শ্রমিকও যদি অনাহারে থাকেন, বা কারও কিছু হয়, কাউকে ছেড়ে কথা বলব না। মুখ্য সচিব বাসুদেব ব্যানার্জিকে তিনি নির্দেশ দিয়েছেন অবিলম্বে যেন ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হয়। সেইমতো মুখ্য সচিব এদিনই কেন্দ্রীয় অর্থ মন্ত্রককে চিঠি লিখে ব্যবস্থা নিতে বলেছেন। মুখ্যমন্ত্রী জানান, রাজ্যে চা–শ্রমিকের সংখ্যা আড়াই লক্ষ। প্রতিবেশী রাজ্য অসমে চা–শ্রমিকের সংখ্যা ৫ লক্ষ। মালিকেরা ব্যাঙ্ক থেকে দিনে ১০ হাজার টাকার বেশি তুলতে না পারায় তাঁদের মজুরি দিতে পারছেন না।”

মুখ্যমন্ত্রী এদিন বলেন, “কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের এই সিদ্ধান্তের ফলে একদিনে ২৫ হাজার কোটি টাকা ক্ষতি হয়ে গেছে। দেশে অর্থনৈতিক অরাজকতা তৈরি চলছে। প্রধানমন্ত্রীর নাম না করে মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর কটাক্ষ, “সবাইকে ভিখিরি বানিয়ে দিয়েছেন। নিজে জাপান চলে গেছেন।”

তাঁর কথায়, “ব্ল্যাক মানি যত খুশি ধরো। কিন্তু তার জন্য গ্রামবাংলা, গরিব, মধ্যবিত্ত মানুষ কেন ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হবেন?‌ ব্যাঙ্কে তো কর্মী নেই। কোনও কোনও ব্যাঙ্কে তো একজন কর্মী রয়েছেন। এতবড় প্রক্রিয়া সামলানো যায়?‌ পোস্ট অফিস তো সাইন বোর্ড হয়ে গেছে। এ রাজ্যে ৭০০–৮০০ গ্রাম পঞ্চায়েতে ব্যাঙ্কের শাখা নেই। মুষ্টিমেয় ধনী ছাড়া সবাই ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত। কেউ খুশি নন। যদি এটা সত্যিই হত, আগে থেকে কেন ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হয়নি?‌ ব্যাঙ্কে কেন ১০০ টাকার নোট রাখা হয়নি?‌ কেন এ টি এম থেকে টাকা পাওয়া যাবে না?‌ সংসার খরচ চালাতে যাঁরা ব্যাঙ্ক থেকে টাকা তুলেছেন তাঁদের কাছে ৫০০, ১০০০ টাকার নোট রয়েছে। এখন কী করা যাবে?‌ মানুষের কাছে শুধু ৫০০, ১০০০ টাকার নোট রয়েছে। কেউ অসুস্থ হয়ে পড়লে বেসরকারি হাসপাতালে চিকিৎসা করাতে যেতে পারবে না। এ সব কি বোঝা উচিত ছিল না?‌ কেন ১০০ টাকা নোটের ব্যবস্থা করা হয়নি?‌ আমার বাড়িতে বাজার করা যায়নি। দলের তহবিলের যে অর্থ রয়েছে তার জন্য নিয়মিত কর দেওয়া হয়। কিন্তু সাধারণ মানুষের কী হবে?‌ ক্রমশ মানুষকে ভিখিরি করে দেওয়া হচ্ছে।”

তিনি আরও বলেন, “কিছুদিন আগে ক্রেডিট কার্ড, ডেবিট কার্ড নিয়ে তো কেলেঙ্কারি হল। তার কী হল?‌ কেউ জানে কি?‌ সংসদের অধিবেশনে এ নিয়ে প্রশ্ন উঠবে। নতুন নোট ছাপতে তো কয়েক কোটি টাকা খরচ হবে। এ ব্যাপারে আমি প্রথম সরব হয়েছিলাম। এখন একে একে সবাই সরব হচ্ছেন।”

Against Black Money but deeply concerned about small traders and common people: Mamata Banerjee

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Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today lashed out at the Centre for the decision to end the use of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes from midnight tonight.

She took to Twitter to register her protest and demanded this draconian decision be withdrawn:

“While I’m strongly against black money, corruption, deeply concerned about common people, small traders. How they will buy essentials tomorrow?

This is a financial chaos and disaster let loose on the common people of India… The PM could not get back the promised black money from abroad from the rich so a drama to divert his failure…

I want to know from PM how my poorest brothers sisters,who’ve recd their week’s hard earned wage in one 500 re note will buy ata,chal, tomorrow?

Heartless and ill- conceived blow on the common people and the middle class in the fake name of anti-corruption

Rs 100 notes not available in banks. Without availability in market how will people, small farmers, all employees, labourers purchase essentials?

WITHDRAW THIS DRACONIAN DECISION”

 

আমি কালো টাকার বিরুদ্ধে কিন্তু সাধারণ মানুষ ও ক্ষুদ্র  ব্যবসায়ীদের নিয়েও চিন্তিতঃ মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়

৫০০ ও ১০০০ টাকা নোট বাতিলের সিদ্ধান্ত ঘোষণা করায় উদ্বেগ প্রকাশ করলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। তিনি এই সিদ্ধান্ত প্রত্যাহারের জন্য সরকারের কাছে দাবি জানিয়েছেন।

তাঁর বক্তব্য, “আমি প্রবলভাবে কালো টাকার দুর্নীতির বিরুদ্ধে তেমনই একই সঙ্গে আমি সাধারণ মানুষ ও ক্ষুদ্র ব্যবসায়ীদের নিয়েও চিন্তিত। কিন্তু যেভাবে এটা করতে গিয়ে সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়া হয়েছে, তাতে মনে হচ্ছে তুঘলকি শাসন চলছে।

এটি একটি অর্থনৈতিক বিশৃঙ্খলা। সাধারণ মানুষের ওপর চরম বিপর্যয়।এই সিদ্ধান্তের ফলে দেশ অচল হয়ে পড়বে।

প্রধানমন্ত্রী তাঁর দেওয়া প্রতিশ্রুতি মতো বিদেশ থেকে কালো টাকা আনতে ব্যর্থ হয়েছে। যেসব সাধারণ মানুষ ৫০০ টাকার নোটে মজুরি পেয়েছেন তারা কি করবেন এই প্রশ্নও করেছেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী। দুর্নীতি রোধে এ এক হৃদয়হীন ও হঠকারী আঘাত এল সাধারণ মানুষের ওপর।

এই হঠকারী সিদ্ধান্ত বাতিল করা হোক।

Derek O’Brien speaks on the Black Money Bill | Full Transcript

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Full Transcript

Sir, during the discussion on the Finance Bill last week, and when we were discussing the Appropriation Bill, the Minister of State for Finance gave us some interesting views of his, where he had said that because of his past experience, he benchmarks everything — everything is to do with benchmarking — and how he had read 21 Budgets and based on benchmarking those 21 Budgets, how he had come to this conclusion. This was said by the Minister of State for Finance. We would come to the Union Minister of Finance in a minute.

So, I want to use this opportunity to do some benchmarking on this Bill as far as the BJP goes. Sir, let us start by benchmarking. I have got four parameters. The first parameter is this: “The names of the foreign account holders must be made public and I demand a time-bound assurance from the Government”. Who said this — It was the current Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Shri Venkaiah Naidu. When did he say this — when he was not in Government. So, this is the first benchmarking – fail.

Now, let us move on to the second benchmarking. “If our Party forms the Government at the Centre, it will bring back all the black money stashed in foreign banks within 150 days. The money brought back will be spent on the welfare schemes.” Who said this – the current HM, that is, the Home Minister. Don’t get mixed up between the HM and the FM because that is the Home Minister. There is also an FM currently who is also the HM. Let me explain. The Finance Minister is also the Information and Broadcasting Minister. He is in-charge of the fiscal management, but he is more interested in ‘headline management’. That is the Finance Minister. Sir, these are all their rules, that is, benchmarking by the Minister of State.

Then, there was one gentleman whose name I would not take, but we all know him. He had said he would start getting one lakh crores of Indian money back within 100 days of the formation of the Modi Government. He is the same man who disappears in disguise in the middle of the night. Let’s not mention his name. So, here again, the benchmarking – failed. Sir, the fourth example of benchmarking is actually the best one, and that is, “I will bring back every rupee that is stored away in foreign banks, any which way, and ensure that it is used for the rehabilitation of the poor in the country.” Who said this – that time, chief election campaigner and now the Prime Minister of India! This is the fourth example of benchmarking – fail. So, in my simple opinion, this actually is the BJP, which I feel, should be called ‘bahut jumla promises’. This is ‘bahut jumla promises’ or BJP, because none of these promises have been kept, and now they have brought this Bill.

Sir, if you look seriously at this Bill, let me point out that 12 such VDI schemes have happened in the past. No one knows how much money came back through these VDI schemes. The Standing Committee has appointed three agencies to ascertain the amount of black money which has come back to India. We still do not have any figure. Now, generation of black money is the issue. Real estate is where the black money is. So, unless we stop this generation from the real estate business, all this will be like election promises. Sir, this is the situation as it is today. Sir, I have the contents of a letter here dated the 10th September, 2014 which says, “India’s ratification of this International Convention Against Corruption was accompanied by a major reservation that it will not apply where there is a bilateral protocol with any country. Moreover, the information supplied…” – this is important – “…is only to be used for tax purposes, neither investigation, arrest nor prosecution”. This is not my note; this is from0 the PMO. So, it cannot be used for investigation, arrest or prosecution. This is a note to the Secretary, Revenue, from the PMO. So, Sir, how will this Bill apply in these situations? Sir, I want to end this little discussion on this mere jumla by giving two suggestions, and I hope the Government will consider both these suggestions.

One, this ‘black money’ is a wrong word. It is racist because, as it is, we have creams in India to try and look white. So, this black money is a wrong concept. In the year 1200 in Europe, when they were actually minting silver coins, that time in those coins, a lot more copper got in. So, those coins became black. That is why those black coins became black money. So, I think we should use the term ‘dirty money’. My last suggestion is very, very serious which, I hope, will go to the Minister for Finance, who has been sitting here for most of the discussion and I can see that Ravi Shankarji is making notes for him. My last suggestion is very serious and please consider this. We, the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee, are suggesting that you bring back whatever money you can and you find whatever money you can from here — your Bill is not going to do it but in whatever way you can — and then you set up what we call a DEF, that is, Democratic Electoral Fund. Whatever you get, put all the money in the Democratic Electoral Fund and please use this money to start serious electoral reforms. So, that will become the corpus and in that case all political parties will not have to go running around with suitcases only before elections. Please set up this Democratic Electoral Fund. Your track record of delivering election promises is very, very poor. You keep managing the headlines. You are very, very good at that. But, otherwise, I am afraid, nothing else is happening with this Government.

Thank you.

Trinamool demands setting up of Democratic Electoral Fund

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Trinamool today demanded that the government should bring back whatever black money they can and use it as a corpus to set up a Democratic Electoral Fund to start the process of electoral reforms. Speaking on behalf of the party, Derek O’Brien, the leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, said that this step could go a long way in stopping the use of black money in elections.

Slamming the BJP as Bahut Jumla Promises, he pointed out the ruling party had gone back on its promise of bringing back black money. He took on the Parliamentary Affairs Minister who had sought a time-bound assurance from the previous UPA government to bring back black money. He also said that the Home Minister had promised to bring back black money within 150 days coming to power during his election campaign.

The Prime Minister, who was the Chief Campaign Officer of BJP in 2014, had said he would bring back black money and use them for social welfare, Derek said. He also took a dig at a person who had said during 2014 election campaign that Modi government would bring back Rs 1 lakh crore worth of black money in 150 days.

While Trinamool supported this Bill, Derek asked MPs not to use the term black money as it was racist; he suggested the term dirty money. He made it clear in his speech that even agencies appointed by Standing Committee on Finance have not been able to ascertain the value of black money stashed abroad.

Kalyan Banerjee speaks on the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015 | Full Transcript

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Full Transcript

Sir, on behalf of my party, I support the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015. Sir there is no doubt that this type of enactment was needed long back but I have some debatable questions where the merit of the Bill is concerned. The real question is whether this Bill really holds in-built provision for establishing the charges at all or not.

This Bill does not make any provision for bringing back the black money from the foreign country to India. If I correctly remember, on several occasions the honourable Finance Minister said that the government was going to bring a Bill in respect of the undisclosed foreign income and assets for the purpose of bringing back the black money into the country. My humble question to the Finance Minister and the MoS Finance here: Can you show us any single provision whereby and where under our government is empowered to bring back black money into the country itself?

Baaton ke jaadu mein kuch nahi hota hai, saheb. Kaam karna hoga. Baaton ka jadoo toh bahut ho gaya. Vishwas toh 125 crore aadmi aap ko kiya tha. Ek paisa wapas nahi aaya.

Where is the promise of the Prime Minister that the black money would be brought back within 100 days and 15 lakh rupees would be given to every citizen of the country? He has gone beyond his promise. Sorry to say Sir, with all due respect to the honourable Prime Minister, unke baton mein jaadoo hai, kaam mein kuch nahi hain.

The provisions of this Bill are quasi-judicial in character. If no one discloses, then charge has to be framed, then proceeding has to be initiated. This takes a quasi-judicial character and when a penalty is involved it is a quasi-criminal character. Therefore, the charge to be farmed has to be established.

How can we establish the charges? Under Section 8(1B), you are saying, “enforcing the attendance of any person, including any officer of banking company and examining him on oath.”

If that is so, a person who stacks away any black money and keeps it in a foreign bank, unless the official from the foreign bank comes up with the documents, and gives evidence, how will you prove the charges? This is what Section 8(1B) says.

If someone has taken the money out of the country and deposited it in the foreign bank, information would not do. Because of the agreement some information coming from the foreign country would not do. It has to be proved. Each and every transaction has to be proved. Do you think that in all cases foreign bank officials would come and leak the evidence in the country? It is impractical.

This Act is all right for the purpose of publicity, for the purpose of doing things. For the purpose of achieving the political objective it is good. But come to the substance of it. How will you prove the charges unless you have evidence? If it is not legal evidence it cannot be done. And in the case of legal evidence one has to bring an official to the witness stand to prove it because the right to exam the effective person is there. How will you do it? This is the point so far as Section 8 itself.

Earlier, 12 times the voluntary disclosure scheme was brought in the country. This is not a new concept, it is an old one. In fact the in-built provisions of the Acts are akin to some of the provisions of the Income Tax Act itself. Nothing new, it is an old wine in a new bottle with a new name. We want to know exactly how much money was brought back under those voluntary disclosure schemes.

Sir, black money is generated in the country itself. Thereafter it is stashed away. Under this Act, what preventive measures have been taken by you to stop the generation of the black money? To curb black money you have to stop it at the threshold where it is being generated. How? This Act does not speak about that.  Sir unless it is stopped, unless it is prohibited, no good result will come.

Come up with a mechanism (we’ll appreciate it) specified under the law for stopping all sorts of black money, whether it is domestic or whether it is foreign. It has to be stopped.

Nobody knows yet the estimate of black money stashed away. Sir, I have been informed (subject to correction) in 2010 the Standing Committee on finance appointed three agencies to ascertain the amount of black money stashed away from the country. Such a report has not been disclosed as yet.

Sir, this Act doesn’t really have any teeth. If anybody discloses it is all right we can recover the money and impose 30% taxes. However if one doesn’t disclose, you don’t have any teeth to catch him. You are purely relying upon evidences which are in the foreign countries and not on the basis of the evidence here.

Do you really think a person who has a huge amount of black money will keep it in a nationalised bank here and transfer it via internet? Do you think a person who is keeping Rs 50 crore of black money will keep it in a bank anywhere in India in his account and transfer it within a minute? There are examples. A transaction is made here following which 50% is paid here and 50% is being paid in a foreign country. How can you catch this under invoicing?

For your political commitment, you want to establish that you are doing so many things. In effect, you are not doing anything. We will give you full support. You bring in more stringent provisions and we will support you whole-heartedly to prevent the generation of black money in the country.

But sorry Sir, with great respect I say that this bill has no teeth. It is only for the purpose of achieving some political goal.

Thank You Sir.

Black Money Bill is toothless: Trinamool in Lok Sabha

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Speaking on behalf of the party in Lok Sabha, Chief Whip of Trinamool Congress in the House, Kalyan Banerjee today said that the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015 was toothless and would not not bring back black money to the country.

Kalyan Banerjee, who is also a senior advocate, said that the Bill only serves a political purpose and is toothless legally. “Do you think a person who has black money will keep it in a nationalised bank and then transfer it over the internet?” he asked.

He advised the government that the time for words was gone and it was now time to act. He reminded the Centre of their promises of bringing back black money within 150 days.

Kalyan Banerjee also pointed out that this quasi-judicial Bill has no provisions to prevent the generation of black money within the country. Calling the Bill “old wine in a new bottle” he said the provisions of the Bill were akin to the IT Act.

Urging the government to ” do something meaningful”, he promised of all support to prevent the stashing of black money in foreign banks.

 

Full transcript of Kalyan Banerjee’s speech

SS Roy raises Question in view of Black Money in RS | Transcript

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Full transcript:

Sir, I would like to ask the Hon’ble Finance Minister, in view of the huge Black Money allegedly stashed outside India, whether the Government is contemplating any legislation to impose a ban in opening bank accounts outside the country by Indian citizens, excepting those who are employed outside?

Thank you.