Government today said it is not reluctant to reveal names of those having stashed black money in foreign banks.

In a hurriedly convened press conference, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as per the treaty, the government is bound not to disclose the names at this stage.

He said the names of persons under investigation will be made public once the charges are filed in the court.

Mr Jaitley said Swiss authorities have agreed to confirm genuineness of the documents relating to foreign bank accounts and they will give details of accounts of persons investigated by Income Tax authorities.

The Finance Minister's statement came following strong reactions by political parties on the government's stand before the Supreme Court that it cannot reveal the names of account holders in foreign banks accused of having black money.

AIR correspondent reports, defending the government's stand on black money BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that disclosing information will be in violation of the agreements India has with foreign countries.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi alleged that BJP practiced political dishonesty to garner votes. He charged the Prime Minister with misleading people by making false promises of retrieving the money stashed abroad.

CPI leader D Raja accused BJP of being hypocritical. He told AIR that, while in Opposition, BJP made much hue and cry when UPA government cited same agreements as a reason behind non-disclosures.

JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav said BJP and Congress are on the same page on the black money issue.

Talking to AIR, he questioned NDA government’s commitment on the matter saying bringing black money back is a distant dream and the government should focus on making recoveries on non-performing assets.
The government says it is making sincere efforts to bring back black money which is evident in the fact that it constituted an SIT in the very first Cabinet meeting.