"Have these wise men forgotten from where our country has come in the last seventy years, after countless efforts by many a great men, finally there is a sense of unity in our diverse nation. Even when the government has succeeded in bringing the country under one unified tax regime, I humbly request them to stop dividing and isolating the sentiments of our people."
This isn't an Independence day speech, but an angry rant by actor Amala Paul. In a statement, reacting to allegations of tax evasion, the popular actor has chased the spirit of internet nationalists without actually addressing the issue at hand.
An investigative report by Mathurbhumi had said that Amala Paul bought a Mercedes S class car which costs more than a crore from a dealer named Trans Car based in Chennai on August 4. The car was registered in Puducherry on August 9. Amala paid only Rs 1.75 lakh as tax for this purchase.
She has been accused of evading tax to the tune of Rs 20 lakh by registering the car in a union territory.
The Puducherry police, who conducted an investigation into the Amala Paul case, told TNM on Thursday, that there is no criminality as far as her actions are concerned. "We looked into the matter and she has a rented home here for which she is paying money regularly. She had a notary who has done due diligence. Technically, her actions are not unlawful," says SP Rajiv Ranjan. Puducherry Governor Kiran Bedi has still slammed the practice of registering luxury cars in Puducherry and causing tax loss to some other state.
However, lashing out at Mathrubhumi, the actor has said, “I am an Indian citizen and assumed that I have every right to work and own any asset throughout our nation freely.”
I am in a state of shock the way an age-old daily publication, formed on nationalist principles by freedom fighters of malabar region, is today digging such shallow ways to raise their circulations and garner public attention. I feel I have the right to speak against these unwanted speculations and harassment caused to me and my family, despite paying taxes of more than a crore this year alone. And especially now, even when the respective authorities have found no unlawful act on my part.
I am an Indian citizen and assumed that I have every right to work and own any asset through out our nation freely. But now this self proclaimed socio-reformist newspaper, who has somewhere lost the meaning of its own name ‘MOTHERLAND’ and it's own history, has resorted to play the divisive regionalist propaganda, by making the innocent local readers believe that their state is separate from the nation at large.
I wish to know from these wise-men that I have worked in Tamil Cinema as much as I have worked in Malayalam cinema, so help me rationalise my assets in both the states by respective distributions of my pay cheques. And should I have to ask their consent to work in Telugu Cinema or if I wish to own an asset in Bangalore? Last time I checked Bangalore’s currency is also the same i.e. Indian Rupees ‘INR’.
Have these wisemen forgotten from where our country has come in the last seventy years, after countless efforts by many a great men, finally there is a sense of unity in our diverse nation. Even when the government has succeeded in bringing the country under one unified tax regime, I humbly request them to stop dividing and isolating the sentiments of our people. I sincerely hope a day will come when our future generations, will not be Keralites, Tamilians or Punjabis or Gujaratis but be just Indians and working together for the growth of our great nation. Let’s fight the real fight, the fight against poverty, corruption, illiteracy, injustice and not resort to lynching law abiding citizens for short-sighted gains.