Put diplomatic pressure to get Swiss accounts details: Rajnath

With the Swiss government's refusal to share information about Indians holding accounts in its banks, BJP president Rajnath Singh today said India should mount diplomatic pressure on that country to get the details.

"I think the Indian government should build up diplomatic pressure on Switzerland so that the black money of whichever country is deposited there can be exposed," Singh told reporters.

BJP had made the stashing away of illegal money by Indians in Swiss banks and other tax havens abroad a poll issue during the recent Lok Sabha elections. It had promised to bring back the money if voted to power and said the amount would be used to fund several welfare schemes.

This had led even the Congress to announce that it would take steps in this direction within the first 100 days of assuming power.

However, Swiss government refused to share the details.

"India cannot simply throw its telephone book at Switzerland and ask if any of these people have a bank account here," a top official at Swiss Bankers Association said from Basel yesterday.

Singh said if the American government could get the names so could we. Germany and Ireland have also succeeded in getting names of account holders from their country.