PM Modi Sharpens Attack on Congress as Sam Pitroda's 'US Inheritance Tax' Remark Gives BJP More Ammo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharpened his criticism of the Congress on Wednesday over what he described as its “dangerous intentions”, armed with opposition functionary Sam Pitroda’s comments on an inheritance tax in the US that added fuel to a raging debate over wealth distribution in India’s politically charged election season.

In remarks that drew intense scrutiny by the BJP and prompted the Congress to distance itself from them, Pitroda could be heard talking in a video about a US law that “says…you must leave your wealth for the public [upon death] — not all of it, half of it — which to me sounds fair”. Pitroda was prompt to post a clarification with his comments snowballing into a major controversy. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, too, tried dousing the flames in an X post, saying Pitroda “expresses his opinion freely” and they “not always reflect the position” of the party.

But PM Modi kept up the political pressure on the Congress, using Pitroda’s remarks to launch a fresh offensive. “Now, the Congress is saying there will be an inheritance tax on inheritance from parents…[If the Congress is voted to power] they will hit you with a higher tax rate till the time you are alive. And after that, they will impose an inheritance tax,” he said at an election rally in Chhattisgarh.

“The people, who have considered the Congress as their ancestral property and given it to their children, don’t want Indians to give their property to their children,” PM Modi said, in what is being seen as a reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family. “Your hard-earned property will not go to your children but to the Congress hand,” he added, referring to the party’s poll symbol.

Pitroda’s comments add a new chapter to the ongoing wealth distribution debate. The Prime Minister has earlier asserted that the Congress aims to redistribute public wealth among Muslims, while the BJP has questioned the promise of a “nation-wide socio-economic and caste census” in the Congress manifesto. The opposition party has said its election manifesto does not mention any wealth redistribution survey, but the BJP has pointed to a video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech on April 6, when he made a similar statement at the manifesto launch event