Patna, May 16 (IANS) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismissed a source-based media report claiming that the government was considering imposing a levy on foreign travel, the BJP on Saturday urged caution.
Speaking to IANS, Dilip Kumar Jaiswal said, “The Prime Minister has already clarified the matter. PM Modi has appealed to all citizens of the country regarding the ongoing concerns related to the dollar and gold markets, urging them to remain alert and cautious in order to keep India’s economy strong.”
Senior BJP leader, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, also criticised the spread of misinformation and said there was no reason to misrepresent the government’s position.
He said, “There is no need for anyone to spread any kind of rumours. The Prime Minister has already posted about this and clearly stated that there is no need to misrepresent things that the government has not done.”
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, alleged that the Opposition was misleading the public for political reasons.
He said, “Without any basis, the Opposition was claiming that the government is going to impose a tax on foreign travel, just to mislead the citizens. The Prime Minister himself has clarified the situation, stating that the government has no such intention. The real matter is that because they have been continuously out of power and have been repeatedly rejected by the public due to their own character, the Opposition is in a state of despair and frustration.”
In a rare rebuttal, PM Modi has rubbished a media report which claimed the government is considering a cess or tax on foreign travel.
The report, by CNBC-TV18, said a proposal to levy a cess, tax or surcharge on foreign travel was being discussed at the “highest levels” of the government.
Taking to X on Friday, PM Modi replied to the post by the media outlet and said there was not even an “iota of truth” to the report.
“This is totally false. Not an iota of truth in this. There is no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel. We remain committed to improving ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and ‘Ease of Living’ for our people,” the Prime Minister wrote.
Minutes later, CNBC-TV18 issued an apology and said it was withdrawing the story.
“Our story on government considering tax/cess on foreign travel is not accurate. We withdraw the story and regret the error,” the outlet posted on X.
In a graphic about the report that was shared on social media, CNBC-TV18 had said that the proposal on the tax was being discussed in the highest echelons of the government and was aimed at cushioning the fiscal impact from the US and Israel’s war against Iran. The move, it said, would also mitigate higher crude and import costs.
The report claimed the cess would go directly to the Centre and would be in place for a year. It stated that the finance ministry had not responded to queries on the proposal.
On Sunday, PM Modi had urged citizens to help conserve petrol, diesel and foreign exchange reserves by using public transport, avoiding unnecessary foreign travel and refraining from non-essential gold purchases.
–IANS
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