Salman Khurshid targets NDA government on black money issue

NEW DELHI: Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today said the NDA government should either "scrap" agreements with foreign nations in "national interest" over not disclosing black money details or "apologise" for attacking the previous UPA government which had taken a similar stand.

Targeting the Narendra Modi dispensation for its stand in Supreme Court today that it cannot disclose names of all Indians having black money stashed in bank accounts abroad, he said the BJP had cast aspersions at the UPA government for taking a similar stand.

"They (government) should not say what they can do and blame us for this. I want to make it clear that they should withdraw from the agreement and fulfil the promise (on black money) they had made before the country.

"Or, they should apologise for casting aspersions on us even though we were doing what was appropriate for the country...," Khurshid told reporters.

The Congress leader said if India suffers due to scrapping the agreement with foreign countries but if it is required to be done in national interest, then the government should do it.

"After casting aspersions at us, the new government is repeating what we had been saying. Why? Because we have treaties so we cannot disclose details. You did not respect it when you were in opposition, then why are you respecting it now," Khurshid said.

The Modi government, which promised to bring back black money stashed by Indians in foreign banks, today toed the line of UPA regime by informing the Supreme Court that it cannot disclose such details given by countries with which India has double taxation avoidance agreement(DTAA).