File photo of Ms Preneet Kaur
Hours after NDTV reported that four Congress leaders, including a former minister in Dr Manmohan Singh's government, are being investigated for allegedly holding illicit foreign accounts, Preneet Kaur issued a statement, declaring, "In keeping with my reply to the IT (Income Tax) department, I should like to state that I never have had, and do not have any bank account(s) overseas in my name with any foreign bank."
Preneet Kaur served as Junior Foreign Minister and is married to Congress heavyweight Amarinder Singh. Along with her, sources say, the other Congress leaders who will be asked to explain whether they funneled untaxed or black money to Switzerland include a former parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh and two members of a well-known political family from Maharashtra.
Preneet Kaur was first asked to explain the allegations in 2011, when her own government was in power, after French officials handed to India a list of people with accounts at HSBC in Switzerland. Officials in the new government say inadequate action was taken in Preneet Kaur's case, a lapse they plan to correct.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told NDTV last week that a "big Congress name" is on the list of Indians who allegedly hold illicit accounts at HSBC in Switzerland. In retaliation, Mr Jaitley's predecessor, P Chidambaram, told NDTV that "Whatever name is there will embarrass the individual, not the party."
The Supreme Court has been monitoring investigations into black money since 2009, based on a petition by lawyer Ram Jethmalani. Today, the government shared with the top court three names of alleged illicit account holders - Pradip Burman of the Dabur India group, bullion trader Pankaj Chimanlal Lodhiya and five members of the family that runs a mining firm named Timblo in Goa.