Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Congress has been completely exposed after the remarks of the Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda advocating an inheritance tax like law.

In a sharp reaction to Pitroda’s remarks, Shah said “After Sam Pitroda’s remark, Congress party is completely exposed. First of all, mention of ‘survey’ in their manifesto, Manmohan Singh’s old statement which is Congress’ legacy – that minorities have the first right over resources of the country, and now Sam Pitroda’s remark citing the United States that there should be deliberations on the distribution of wealth… 55 per cent of wealth goes to the government’s property. ”

“Now when PM Modi raised this issue, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and the entire Congress party are on the back foot that it was never their motive. But today, Sam Pitroda’s statement has made Congress’ motive clear before the country. They want to survey the private property of the people of the country, put it in government property and distribute it as per decision during UPA’s regime,” the Union Home Minister told a news agency.

Shah further said, “Congress should either withdraw it from their manifesto or accept that it is indeed their intention…I want people to take Sam Pitroda’s statement seriously. Their intention is now in the open, its cognisance should be taken by people…”

Earlier, emphasising the need for policy towards wealth distribution, Pitroda spoke about the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in the US.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies, he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children while 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Pitroda had said.

Pitroda’s statement has led to a controversy, with the BJP tearing into the Congress.

Hitting out at Pitroda over his inheritance tax remarks, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Pitroda has done such an X-ray of the Congress manifesto, that now even Rahul Gandhi cannot say anything.

“The things he (Sam Pitroda) has said, he has categorically elaborated the nefarious design of the Congress party,” the BJP national spokesperson said while addressing a press conference.

Criticising Pitroda’s remarks on distributing wealth to the government in the US, Trivedi said, “We are a savings based economy… Who motivates the savings? The big think-tanks of the world have said that family and generational wealth motivates savings. That means, what assets you will leave for your children and grandchildren, that motivates savings.”

He further said, “One generation works hard to make money, then second generations make something out of it and then the third generation receives the benefits but the Congress wants to snatch their happiness.”

Trivedi also questioned which foreign powers are motivating Congress “… The future of the dollar as a hard currency is now not secure. They raised their rate of interest but still nothing happened. Now, gold is moving forward in the form of hard currency. And gold is mostly purchased in India. On an average, every year, 700 tonnes of gold is purchased in India…. Even the poorest of the poor says that he wants to buy gold. Be it 2-4 tola but there should be some gold. And you want to levy 45 per cent tax on that savings.”

He added, “I want to ask this seriously, in future, gold can be the biggest base of hard currency in India and they are talking of destroying that base. Are they a part of a big political conspiracy?

After the Congress distanced itself from the remarks made by Pitroda on the inheritance tax, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the opposition party can issue thousands of clarifications but their dubious gameplan has been disclosed by Pitroda.

Talking to the news agency, Poonawalla said, “Congress can give a thousand clarifications, but the truth has been disclosed by Uncle Sam. He is not some small leader, he is the closest confidant of the first family of Congress. Is he not there in every foreign tour of Rahul Gandhi? What he has said today, has been prescribed by Congress in 2012.”

Poonawalla said voting for Congress means losing “55 per cent of your land holding to a particular vote bank”.

“If you are a small shopkeeper, Congress will take away 55 per cent of your shop. If you are a small household, Congress will come and take away your savings while you are on a deathbed. Congress’ model is ‘Loot karo, zindagi ke sath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi’ (Loot, during the life and afterwards also) and Congress cannot run away, because their entire dubious gameplan has now been disclosed,” he said.