Rahul Gandhi accuses Modi govt of launching 'Fair & Lovely Scheme' to convert black money

In a scathing attack on the Centre, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of carrying out a 'Fair and Lovely Yojna' to convert black money into white.

"Those who have black money can make it white by paying tax under this Fair and Lovely Yojana," Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, describing the Modi government's plan as a cover to those with unaccounted wealth.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had offered domestic holders of undisclosed income and assets a one-time compliance opportunity to escape prosecution. Refusing to call the compliance window an amnesty scheme, Jaitley in his Budget announced a four-month window beginning 1 June for holders of unaccounted wealth to come clean by paying 30 per cent tax plus a penalty of 7.5 per cent and a similar per centage of surcharge.

Gandhi also accused the PM of destroying UPA's work against the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, and terrorism.

He also attacked Modi government's Make in India campaign, saying he is still awaiting its results. "How much employment have you (Modi) created with the 'Babbar Sher' of Make In India," he asked.

He also attacked the PM over his opinion on MGNREGA. "Modi ji said I have not seen a scheme as bad as MGNREGA. But Arun Jaitley came to me and said that it's a very good scheme. I told him, why don't you say this to your boss."

Acknowledging that he was not "much aware", Gandhi said, "I am not from the RSS, I make mistakes."

Gandhi also questioned the PM's silence on Hyderabad University student Rohit Vemula's suicide and the JNU sedition case. "Whose opinion does the PM listen to? Whose opinion does he respect?"

"Respecting the flag means respecting the opinion of every Indian. When I went to JNU, your ABVP workers showed me black flags. When I salute the flag, I don't salute the cloth, but the relationships it represents," he said.

-With agency inputs