The Congress party has received a tax notice surpassing Rs 1,800 crore, just a day after facing a setback in the Delhi High Court.
NEW DELHI: Today (March 29): The Income Tax Department served the Congress with a notice exceeding Rs 1,800 crore after the Delhi High Court rejected the party’s appeals against tax reassessment proceedings.
A panel comprising Justices Yashwant Varma and Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav reiterated their previous decision to reject the pleas, aligning with their earlier ruling against intervening in the initiation of re-assessment for an additional year.
The notice, covering assessment years 2017–18 and 2020–21, includes penalties and interest charges. Accusing the BJP of “tax terrorism” to weaken the opposition before the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress called for income-tax demands of over Rs 4,600 crore from the BJP for alleged violations.
During a press conference at the Congress headquarters, party treasurer Ajay Maken and general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the BJP for purported income-tax law violations, alleging the party collected Rs 8,200 crore through the “electoral bonds scam.”
They accused the BJP of engaging in “tax terrorism” while asserting the Congress’s determination to continue its campaign for the upcoming parliamentary polls despite financial pressures.
Maken emphasized that
The Income Tax Department’s actions are selectively targeting the Congress and other opposition parties, describing it as a “frontal organization” of the BJP.
He mentioned that
The department’s campaign against the Congress, terming it premeditated and baseless, announced the Congress’s intention to challenge the demands in the Supreme Court.
Ramesh claimed
“that the BJP accumulated Rs 8,200 crore through the “electoral bonds scam,” utilizing methods such as “pre-paid, post-paid, post-raid bribes, and shell companies.”
He further accused
“the BJP of engaging in “tax terrorism,” aiming to financially weaken the Congress. Despite these challenges, Ramesh affirmed the Congress’s commitment to continue its campaign for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, pledging to uphold its promises to the people”.
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Maken alleges that the Income Tax Department, acting as the BJP’s “frontal organization,” unfairly targets the Congress and other opposition parties.
He condemned the department’s intentional effort targeting Congress, which involved revisiting previous tax returns without valid reasons.
Following the Delhi High Court’s dismissal of petitions challenging tax reassessment proceedings, the Congress intends to contest the matter further. The Congress party had challenged the initiation of re-assessment proceedings pertaining to the assessment years 2014-15 to 2016-17.
