Captain and foreign affairs

Former Union minister Preneet Kaur and her son, Raninder Singh, have been asked to file an “appeal to be heard” in a case where the tax authorities have sought information about their foreign bank accounts. Capt Amarinder Singh was quick to rise to the defence of his family members, and said the case had been pending before income tax authorities since 2011. He also questioned the timing and singled out his bête noire, Arun Jaitley, for opprobrium. 

Shrill politicking from both sides that followed has resulted in obfuscation of the real issue. The crux of the matter is probity in public life. People in limelight have to learn to live with the fact that their actions and, indeed, their lives are subjected to far closer scrutiny than other people. Capt Amarinder Singh cannot simply brush away the serious charges by saying that these are politically motivated. If in the process his possible elevation as the Punjab Congress president is jeopardised, that his problem, or that of his party. People need to know whether there was any wrongdoing at any level. At the same time, the appearance of someone's name in a gazette notification cannot be construed as proof of his or her wrongdoing. 

If Capt Amarinder Singh’s family members do not have anything to hide or have no foreign accounts, as they assert, then it is both in their interest, and that of the public, that the investigation is allowed to run its course. A sense of fair play would demand that an inquiry be conducted and settled promptly. They are among the many Indians who are being scrutinised as a consequence of India and Switzerland implementing mutual assistance treaties in tax-related cases. Since the individuals in focus in this case are political leaders, the Central political leadership must distance itself from the probe conducted by government agencies. Otherwise, the charge that it is targeting its political rivals would gain credence.