AAP is a ‘brilliant propagandist’, says Jaitley

New Delhi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today questioned AAP on the “dubious funding” issue saying political donations made through cheques “do not purify the transaction” and wondered what party chief Arvind Kejriwal would have done as a revenue official to deal with it.

Putting a question mark on political donations made to AAP through cheque, he said it “does not purify the transaction”.

“Surely, Kejriwal is not a stranger to the tax laws. He knew what his party was doing. He should be honest enough to tell the people what ‘Avind Kejriwal, IRS’ would have done under these circumstances?,” Jaitley said in an article “What would Arvind Kejriwal, IRS have done?” on his facebook post.

He also alleged, “The AAP is a brilliant propagandist. It claims to wear the label of honesty on its sleeves.”

Jaitley asked Kejriwal if payment by cheque to political parties “forgives all sins of blackmoney conversion?”

“Would he have asked the assessee to write a letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or allowed him to argue that a payment by cheque to political parties forgives all sins of blackmoney conversion? Would he have arrested the fraudulent assessee under the Indian Penal Code rather than proceeding under the Income Tax Act?,” he questioned.

Jaitley said, the only fact that the donations have been made by cheque “does not purify the transaction” and noted that withdrawal from Swiss bank accounts can also be made by cheques.

He said when a political party converts blackmoney into white, its receipt would obviously be by cheque.

“That cannot wash away the sins of the convertor or the recipient since the entire transaction is fraudulent and a tax evasion exercise. Arvind Kejriwal is not a novice to India’s taxation laws. He is a former officer of the Indian Revenue Service.

“He knows very well that such transactions are dealt with under the Income Tax Act and not the Indian Penal Code.

“Why does he then dare the Finance Minister to arrest him? Is it only a bluff and bluster exercise?,” the Finance Minister asked.

PTI