Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in an exclusive interview with Navika Kumar, Times Network Group Editor-in-Chief addressed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that he had suggested the idea of tax relief to the government. Sitharaman firmly rejected the claim during the interview. “Delhi ke chunav ke liye, poore desh ke liye main 1 lakh crore ka income forego karun kya? Nahin,” said Sitharaman. She said that the proposal was driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to honouring taxpayers, and not by any political considerations.
Union FM #NirmalaSitharaman #EXCLUSIVE On #TIMESNOW
Arvind Kejriwal is saying that he gave the recommendation for tax rebate to the middle class…?: @navikakumar asks.
Arvind Kejriwal ki baat khud Arvind Kejriwal nahi maante…: FM @nsitharaman responds. pic.twitter.com/hOdCRoxPqa
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 3, 2025
“PM Modi ji ka taxpayer ko samman karne ke liye ye proposal lekar aye hum. Usme Kejriwal ji toh “10 lakh tak de dijiye” bola. But we gave Rs 12 lakh,” Sitharaman retorted.
Taking a jibe at Kejriwal, she said,”He was in IRS before. Couldn’t he get that figure right?”
When asked about claims from BJP leaders who said that the tax rebate was for Delhi, Sitharaman said, “The tax rebate will be available to all taxpayers, including those from Delhi. Did we say it’s only for Delhi? No, we didn’t. Did we say Delhi people are excluded from relief? No, we didn’t. The tax rebate is for everyone.”