The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs on Friday submitted a declaration to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari that they do not have illegal accounts abroad.
The decision to submit this declaration was taken following party veteran L.K. Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra. Advani, who met the presiding officers of the two hosues along with party leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, told reporters that he had suggested to them that the form filled by candidates contesting elections about their financial assets should also include a declaration about their not having any illegal account abroad. Sushma Swaraj is leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha.
Signalling that the move to submit declarations was aimed at exerting pressure on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue of black money, Advani said the party will seek details on information the government has been able to obtain about illegal accounts abroad. "Switzlerland has passed a law. The US, Germany, France have been able to get names. When there is a discussion, we will ask what the government has obtained," Advani said.
He said the United Nations Security Council had "passed a resolution against corruption some time back, which also included the issue of illegal bank accounts in other countries". "At the end of yatra, I had declared that all members of party will make a declaration and submit it to presiding officers," he said. He said 112 party MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha had submitted the declaration. Advani said party MP Ram Jethmalani could not come as his daughter is unwell in Mumbai. Party leaders S.S. Ahluwalia, Shanta Kumar and Shahnawaz Hussain also accompanied Advani during the meeting with the presiding officers.