'Gold appropriation' row: Prithviraj Chavan clarifies; cites Monetization Scheme

After BJP slammed his suggestion of Centre appropriating gold of all religious trusts, former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday claimed that his tweet had been deliberately twisted. Posting a 2016 reply by former MoS Finance Jayant Sinha in Lok Sabha, he stated that Gold Deposit Scheme had been commenced by Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. ting that Narendra Modi government had renamed it to Gold Monetization Scheme in 2015, Chavan pointed out that 8 temples across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir had deposited ir gold as per reply of Jayant Sinha. Moreover, senior Congress leader anunced that he would initiate legal action for attempt to communalise his suggestion. 

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BJP questions stance of Congress party

According to Chavan, gold worth $1 trillion could be borrowed by Union government at a low-interest rate and utilised in ongoing "emergency" COVID-19 situation. Lashing out at former Maharashtra CM, former BJP Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya questioned wher Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked Chavan to put forth this demand. reafter, he asked Congress party to clarify wher it backed Chavan's point of view. 

BJP's Kirit Somaiya opined, "Prithviraj Chavan has demanded that government should appropriate gold lying in temples. I want clarification from Prithviraj Chavan that has Sonia Gandhi asked you to make this demand? Is this stance of Congress? Is this demand of Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states?"

Read: Congress' Prithviraj Chavan Tells Govt To Borrow '$1 Trillion' Gold From Religious Trusts

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