New Delhi: The Income-Tax department slapped the Congress with a new demand notice for payment of Rs 1,823.08 crore. The CPI was also served a notice for payment of "dues" of Rs 11 crore.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi warned the officials involved that there will be repercussions once the government changes hands. “When the government changes, action will definitely be taken against those who are destroying democracy,” he asserted.
The I-T notices sparked an uproar among Opposition parties. The Congress termed it as "tax terrorism" orchestrated by the BJP to weaken the Opposition financially just before the General Elections.
At a press conference, Congress treasurer Ajay Maken accused the Income-Tax Department of selectively targeting Opposition parties. He dubbed it as a "frontal organisation" of the BJP. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took to Twitter, questioning the disparate treatment between penalties imposed on the BJP and the Congress, seeking impartiality in tax proceedings.
Maken sought attention to alleged income-tax law violations by the ruling party, urging tax authorities to demand over? 4,600 crore from the BJP. "We have analysed all violations of the BJP using the same parameters they used to analyse our violations," Maken declared.
Jairam Ramesh, handling communications for the Congress, accused the BJP of amassing funds through the "electoral bonds scam" and asserted the party's resilience in the face of financial pressure. "Efforts are being made to financially cripple the Congress, but we are not going to be cowed down," Ramesh affirmed.
Amidst legal battles, the Congress plans to mobilise public protests against what they term the Modi government's "tax terrorism." Jairam Ramesh announced that Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) across states will hold demonstrations to denounce the alleged targeting of the party by tax authorities.
Meanwhile, the CPI received a notice from the Income-Tax Department demanding "dues" of Rs 11 crore for purported discrepancies in using an old PAN card while filing tax returns. The party is consulting legal experts to challenge the notice, highlighting growing tensions between Opposition parties and tax authorities ahead of the elections.
