Vibrant Gujarat deal leads to Income Tax inquiry

Gandhinagar, Mar : The Income Tax department has initiated an inquiry into around 8,000 MoUs signed by several investors and the state government at this year's high profile Vibrant Gujarat Summit(VGS) to bring in an anticipated Rs 21 lakh crore investment.

Minister of State for Industries Saurabh Patel while revealing the IT decision in the state Assembly today blamed Congress for this and asked why Gujarat--which is ruled by BJP--is being targeted by the Centre as a "special case". The summit was touted by the state government as a big success for Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

"We have received a letter from the Income Tax department seeking information about all the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed during the VGS 2011," Patel told the house.

Details of VGS held in 2009 too have been sought, he said.

Patel alleged that this was proof that Opposition Congress was creating hurdles in Gujarat''s progress.

I-T department''s letter states that an inquiry in connection with the VGS 2011 is pending, and "the details of the MoUs signed by various corporate entities with the Government of Gujarat need to be examined".

The letter, dated February 17, signed by Deputy Director (investigations) Anurag Sharma, further says the inquiry is being conducted under section 131 (1A) of the Income Tax Act.

"It is unfortunate that because of the attitude of Leader of the Opposition (Shaktisinh Gohil) and his constant complaints to the Centre, the I-T department has sent us a letter," Patel told reporters after coming out of the Assembly.

"I want to ask the Central government, has it sent such letters with regard to the investment proposals in all the states, or has Gujarat been taken as a special case," Patel said.

When asked if the state had replied to the I-T letter, Patel said, "We will get into action now."

"The country and the world... all have appreciated the success of VGS 2011. It is unfortunate that I-T department of the country has initiated an inquiry and asked the state to furnish details of MoUs and investors where investment above Rs 1000 crore was pledged," he said.

"This is injustice to the state and the people of Gujarat," the minister added.

As many as 7,936 MoUs, drawing investment to the tune of Rs 20.83 lakh crore, were signed by the state government at the VGS 2011, held on January 12-13.

PTI

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Pak declines Indian request on 26/11 inquiry commission:Report

Islamabad, Mar 13: Pakistani authorities have declined an Indian request to send an inquiry commission to interrogate LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks, a media report said today (Sunday, Mar 13)

"There is no law under which we could allow the Indian investigators to grill the seven accused, who are already in judicial custody," a senior unnamed Interior Ministry official was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

India had sent an official letter expressing its willingness to allow a Pakistani commission to visit India to interview key officials linked with the probe into the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. In the same letter, it had asked Pakistan to allow its team to visit Islamabad to interrogate the seven accused.

Home Minister P Chidambaram told the media on Mar 2 that India had sent Pakistan "a request asking them if they would agree to a team from India to question the people who are suspects."

Wajid Zia, chief of the Federal Investigation Agency''s joint investigating team that probed the Mumbai incident, sent a reply to the Interior Ministry''s National Crisis Management Cell, which has forwarded it to the Foreign Ministry for delivery to Indian authorities.

Zia's letter states that Pakistan''s request for sending a commission to India to interrogate persons, including the magistrate who recorded the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab's statement, is based on sections 503, 505 and 507 of the Code Criminal Procedure, sources told Dawn.

The letter also states that the seven Pakistani accused Lakhvi, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Mazhar Iqbal alias Abu Al-Qama, Abdul Wajid alias Zarar Shah, Mohammad Younas Anjum, Shahid Jameel Riaz and Jamil Ahmed -- have been remanded into judicial custody.

The letter also questioned the legal basis of the Indian request to interrogate these suspects, the sources said.

The seven Pakistani suspects are currently being held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

PTI

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