After Sitharaman’s ‘Nawaz Sharif’ Jibe, Chidambaram Hits Back

“Sitharaman will be appointed I-T department lawyer,” Chidambaram said in his jibe.

Sitharaman took a dig against P Chidambaram and his family over alleged non-disclosure of foreign assets.

(Photo: Quint Hindi)

The BJP took a dig at the Congress over chargesheets filed against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram's family, with party leader Nirmala Sitharaman wondering if this was the Congress party's "Nawaz Sharif moment" on 13 May.

The Defence Minister was referring to the Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to disqualify its former prime minister from holding office because of non-disclosure of assets and income earned abroad.

“The parallels cannot be missed in this case. I am wondering if for Congress party in India, we are seeing the Nawaz Sharif moment,” she told reporters in Delhi.

The Income Tax department on 11 May filed chargesheets against Chidambaram's wife Nalini, son Karti, daughter-in-law Srinidhi and a firm under the Black Money Act for allegedly not disclosing their foreign assets.

Sitharaman asked if Congress president Rahul Gandhi would investigate the issue involving his party's senior leader.

The Congress party president, incidentally who is also out on bail on some financial transactions which are questionable, should certainly comment and tell the entire party and people of India whether he is going to investigate this.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister

She pointed out that the Pakistan Supreme Court had disqualified Sharif from holding office because of not disclosing assets held in foreign countries.

Sitharaman said the law on black money was brought in by the Modi government because it had pledged to fight black money held in India and abroad before the last Lok Sabha elections.

Sitharaman Will Be Appointed I-T Dept Lawyer: Chidambaram Hits Back

Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram hit back at Sitharaman on 13 May with a tongue-in-cheek tweet, saying that there was a buzz she would be removed from the cabinet and appointed a lawyer of the Income Tax Department.

“The president of the richest political party in India is dreaming of billions of dollars! Bring the money back and put Rs 15 lakhs in the account of every Indian as you promised," he tweeted, without naming BJP president Amit Shah.

Chidambaram and Kin Charged Under Black Money Act by I-T Dept

The Income Tax department on 11 May filed four chargesheets against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram's wife Nalini, son Karti, daughter-in-law Srinidhi and a firm under the Black Money Act for allegedly not disclosing their foreign assets.

Nalini Chidambaram, Karti and Srinidhi, and a firm linked to Karti have been charged for allegedly not disclosing, either partly or fully,  immovable assets like the one at Barton, Cambridge in the UK worth Rs 5.37 crore, property worth Rs 80 lakh in the same country, and assets worth Rs 3.28 crore in the US, they said.

The family of the former finance minister had said the Income Tax Department (ITD) charge sheets against them under the black money law were "baseless allegations" as the overseas investments under question had been reflected in their IT returns.

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