PM Narendra Modi says Rajiv Gandhi scrapped inheritance law to save tax

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday claimed that former prime minister (late) Rajiv Gandhi had scrapped the inheritance tax because he didn't want to share his inherited property with the government. Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Morena, PM Modi claimed the Congress wants to impose the tax again.

"The facts relating to Inheritance Tax are eye-opening...When former PM Indira Gandhi died, her children were going to get her property. But there was a rule earlier, that before the property goes to the children, some part of it was taken by the government...To save the property…so that it does not go to the government, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi scrapped the Inheritance law," he claimed.

The inheritance law was scrapped in 1985 by the Rajiv Gandhi government.

PM Narendra Modi claimed that the Congress wants to confiscate people's jewellery and small savings by conducting an X-ray of their properties and valuables.

He also accused the Congress of religious appeasement. He attacked the party for giving reservation to Muslims.

"These (Congress) people are again using religious appeasement as a pawn. There is a Congress government in Karnataka...They have declared all the people of the Muslim community in Karnataka as OBC. Congress added so many new people into the OBC community that earlier OBCs used to get reservations in education and government jobs but now the reservation they used to get was secretly snatched away from them," PM Narendra Modi added.

PM Narendra Modi said that for the Congress, it was always family first.

He also said that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh gave a new identity to the Chambal region.

PM Narendra Modi also attacked Congress Rahul Gandhi for "insulting him". He said some people were unhappy as such language was being used against the prime minister of the country.

"I request everyone that please don't be sad, don't be angry, they are 'Naamdar' and we are 'Kaamdar'," he added.

PM Modi accused the Congress of putting Muslims illegally in the OBC list in Karnataka.

He said his government never discriminated on religious lines. He said free ration had been provided to 80 crore people without any discrimination.

"Congress says Muslims have the first right on the country's resources while I am saying that the poor have the first right on it," he added.

PM Narendra Modi recently courted controversy by claiming that Congress had promised in its manifesto that it would snatch away people's hard-earned money and distribute it among Muslims.

The Election Commission of India has taken cognizance alleged violations by PM Modi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

With inputs from PTI, ANI