MOSCOW, November 2 (RIA Novosti) — India’s Prime Minister Narenda Modi vowed to bring back black money, kept illegally in foreign countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands, while addressing the nation on the All India Radio Sunday.
“For me, it is an article of faith. Every penny of the money of poor people in this country, which has gone out, should return. This is my commitment,” Modi was quoted as saying on radio by The Hindu newspaper.
“There may be differences over the approach and procedures, which is natural in a democracy. But as far as my understanding goes and on the basis of information I have, I can say we are on the right track,” he added.
Modi also noted that exact figures were not available but according to the newspaper, there are so far 627 Indian nationals known to hold black money in HSBC Geneva.
Modi’s address to the public came after criticism that his government has shelved the black money issue.
Last week, the government declined the Supreme Court’s request for the names of the account holders saying it would hamper the process of bringing the black money back to India. The opposition party also accused Modi’s government of going back on its election promise, as reported by the newspaper.
However, on Thursday, Justice MB Shah, who heads the special committee tasked by the Supreme Court to probe the black money issue, said in an interview to NDTV, that the court set a deadline of March 31 for investigations to be complete.
