The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Janata Dal - United (JD-U) took exception to the government's statement.

'When the US government can get the list of persons, why can't the Indian government. It is the responsibility of the government. How can there be double standards?' CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat told reporters here.

'We do not have any authentic knowledge about what has been going on. In parliament, the finance minister had made a categorical statement that the government was talking to the Swiss authorities,' Karat added.

Echoing her sentiments was JD-U president Sharad Yadav. 'America is powerful and so it got its work done. India does not actually want to do it at all. It could have been done had we put pressure on the Swiss authorities properly,' he said at a press conference in the capital.