White paper on black money soon: Pranab
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday rejected the Opposition’s demand that the government reveal the names of those who had stashed illegal wealth abroad, saying this would violate India’s treaties with foreign nations and also “dry up our sources of information”.
Mr Mukherjee also said that the name of no member of Parliament had been found in the list of those who had stashed black money overseas, and expressed readiness to publish a white paper on the subject of black money. The adjournment motion moved by senior BJP leader L.K. Advani was later defeated in the Lok Sabha by a voice vote.
Unlike the BJP, members from the Samajwadi Party, RJD and BSP did not demand that the government reveal the names of those with illegal accounts abroad.
Replying to the adjournment motion on black money moved by Mr Advani, Mr Mukherjee, Leader of the House, said: “I have got 36,000 pieces of information. If I publish it, some country will say you violated the agreement. We cannot share it. If we publish the names, then they will withdraw the money.” He went on to add: “Should I publicise it, or go and seize it? How is intelligence collected? There is an element of surprise.”
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