FM wants to boost revenues by taxing my speeches: Modi

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday mocked Finance Minister (FM) P Chidambaram saying the latter was working hard to boost the country's revenues by taxing the former's speeches.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s prime ministerial candidate was responding to a Central Excise Department's notice asking the party to deposit service tax on entry tickets to Modi's rallies. The department withdrew the notice on Tuesday soon after it triggered a major controversy.

Addressing a gathering of bankers, insurers and members of financial service providers here, Modi said, "During the vote-on-account, our finance minister had claimed he was working hard. I was wondering on what the FM was working hard? It was only yesterday (on Tuesday) evening I got to know the real reason."

"I came to know that an important decision had been taken to boost the revenue of the country. Now, service tax will be applicable to Modi's speeches. I am happy that my speeches are benefiting the country's treasury," said Modi. He was speaking at national summit on 'Financial Service - A Key Driver for Economic Growth' at the Gujarat International Finance Tech-city (GIFT).

Modi and the finance minister had been engaged in a war of words. The chief minister had taken a jibe at Chidambaram after he presented the vote-on-account on Monday. Commenting on the Union interim Budget, Modi had said it was up to the people to decide if FM was working 'hard' or 'hardly' working.

Commenting on interim Budget, Modi had said, "FM says 296 projects worth Rs 6.6 lakh crore cleared recently. Why were these projects held back at all? Is it not policy paralysis? While the FM may pat his own back, the fact remains that our youth is bearing the brunt of rising unemployment."