Govt not doing anything to bring back blackmoney: Advani

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In the wake of comments by WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange about black money stashed abroad by Indians, BJP on Tuesday alleged the UPA government was not making any effort to bring it back despite being pulled up by the Supreme Court.

Speaking to reporters in Burdwan, West Bengal, after an election meeting, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said "I have been stressing since 2008 that the enormous money that has been stashed in tax havens abroad, not only in Switzerland but many other places, must be brought back as urgently as possible."

"My complaint against UPA is that no effort has been made in this direction. Therefore, what the government has been told by the Supreme Court these days become more important. Two days ago, the Supreme Court had reprimanded: was the government sleeping? Why is it not doing anything about this matter?" Advani said.

He said the proposed Lokpal Bill would come up in Parliament in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is still a couple of months away.

The senior BJP leader appreciated the action taken against those involved in CWG and 2G scams.

"During this period (before Parliament's Monsoon Session), I expect the government to take action against the scamsters whose names have come up. Whatever has been done till now is welcome but more needs to be done," Advani said.

In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman alleged no action from the government against those stashing blackmoney abroad had made the issue a matter of mere pedagogic interest.