New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday warned those who hold black money to declare it under the new amnesty scheme by September 30.
He said that to deal with the menace of black money, he has prematurely retired many officials for non-performance in the income-tax department and transferred those who were in the same place for decades. However, Mr Modi said, he has also directed his officials not to harass people.
On the stalled GST bill, Mr Modi said the Congress has made it a prestige issue but expressed confidence that the evolving arithmetic in the Rajya Sabha will ensure that the legislation would be passed soon.
“The GST is beneficial for the poor people of the states represented by them (chief ministers who support GST), because those states will economically benefit the most from GST... This is why, be it Mamata Banerjee, be it Nitish Kumar, be it Akhilesh Yadav or Naveen Patnaik, all these states want the GST Bill to be passed at the earliest,” the Prime Minister said in an interview to a TV channel.
Referring to the discussions he had with former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr Modi said he had made all efforts and held talks at every level.
“I will keep trying. I am ready to convince them. If I have to convince someone over a cup of tea at their house, I am even ready for that. I have no problem. My only aim is the welfare of the poor of my country,” the Prime Minister said in the interview.
Modi takes a dig at Congress
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview to a television channel on Monday ,while making a jab at the main Opposition party, said that the Congress, which had ruled the nation for so many years, should not be indulging in disruption of Parliament.
He, however, ruled out any political witch-hunt in the probe, saying that the investigating agencies will do a professional job and whatever names come up, “let’s see”. He did, at the same time, say that a “sin” has been committed and those behind them have had a “big protective cover”.“There should be no targeting (of individuals). Nor does my government do it,” he said.
Regarding the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Mr Modi said development would be the focus. “It’s my conviction, it’s my commitment. You must have seen during the 2014 elections that I fought elections on the issue of development. The new generation of the country only believes in development. I believe that the solution to all problems is in development,” he said.
He even said later in the interview that he is an “apolitical Prime Minister” who, except during elections, never talks of politics.
On hotheads triggering communal tensions, he said the media should not make heroes out of those people who make such comments. He called RBI governor Raghuram Rajan “no less patriotic” and virtually ticked off Mr Swamy by saying that “if anybody considers himself above the system then it is wrong”.
