'UPA committed to bring back black money', reiterates Congress

New Delhi, Aug 10 (ANI): With yoga guru Baba Ramdev training guns at the UPA on the second day of his agitation at the Ramlila Maidan here, Congress Party on Friday reiterated that the ruling government is committed to bring back black money stashed in safe havens abroad.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said it would be better if one extensively goes through the speech of the then Finance Minister during the adjournment motion on black money last year.

"The issues, which have been articulated by some of these agitators who continue to occupy disproportionate part of the public space or the public discourse. I think it would be worth a while to go back and read the speech of the Finance Minister and various other government functionaries during the adjournment motion on black money last year," said Tewari.

"Then Finance Minister very clearly delineated what the government is doing to ensure that wealth, which is illegally held in offshore financial centres, is brought back," he added.

Baba Ramdev earlier today asked Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to demonstrate 'political honesty and political will' in bringing back black money stashed away in foreign shores.

Addressing the gathering at the Ramlila Maidan here, Baba Ramdev said: "I want the current Prime Minister to demonstrate his political honesty and political will on the issue of black money."

The yoga guru, who is presently on a three-day 'symbolic fast', further claimed that terrorism and Naxalism in the country can be tackled if the government controls the flow of black money and the rising inflation.

"Terrorism and Naxalism are the two challenges. The root cause of this is black money. The menace can be tackled if the issue is solved," he said.

The UPA Government had last year promised to bring out a "White Paper" on black money as the Lok Sabha defeated by voice vote an adjournment motion moved by the opposition following which veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani accused the government of inaction in bringing back black money stashed away in foreign banks.

The then Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, termed the menace "serious" and asserted that the UPA Government was not "protecting any black money holder."

"We are all concerned on how to tackle and bring back black money. I have also given an action plan for it," he said. (ANI)