UPA use the Government money, round trip it through Contractors and beneficiaries to enrich themselves: Arun Jaitley

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the UPA works on two fronts--the first is to use the government money, and the second is to pay a lip sympathy for federalism and destroy it whenever the opportunity arises.

"UPA style of functioning is to work on two fronts: Use government money, round trip it through contractors and beneficiaries to enrich themselves and then lip sympathy for federalism and destroying it whenever the opportunity arises. This is a very transparent self-goal," tweeted Jaitley.

Finance Minister Jaitley, who also attached an article with his tweet, said that on March 28 an "unprecedented protest took place in Bengaluru."

"Holding party flags, JDS and Congress leaders assembled outside the Income Tax Office to protest against income tax searches with a political motivation. They alleged that Ministers had been searched," he writes in the article.

"The best evidence they could provide for was that the "Nephew" of a Minister was searched. In an unprecedented move, the Chief Minister and Ministers of the State decided to join the protest."

He said that federalism is not merely the rights of the states and Indian federalism entails India as a "Union of States." He said that the rights of the union are equally important.

"Security of India, sovereignty, dealing with terrorism, managing the borders, Custom Check Points, Income Tax enforcement are all amongst the several Constitutional powers of the Union. If the States stand in way of any of them it is guilty of breaching federal norms," he said.

"Can a State barge its police into the customs area and direct the Customs as to what is to be done? This would be a threat to federalism. Many States have stopped giving Police security to Income Tax authorities when they conduct their operations," he wrote.

"Alternatively when State Police is asked for, the information is leaked out to the political government and it reaches the targets of the operations. Tax authorities increasingly have to rely on the Central forces. In the Kashmir Valley recently, searches have conducted under the Governor's Rule after 17 years. These taxes are meant for the welfare of the poor in India," he wrote.