Congress gets Income Tax notice for assessment year 1994-95; attempt to cripple financially, says party

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Demands to ensure a level playing field

Former party president Sonia Gandhi demanded that the party be given access to its bank accounts to ensure a level playing field in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

In the press conference also addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the party stressed that all its accounts were frozen.

“…We can do no campaign work… Our ability to fight elections has been damaged,” former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said while launching a scathing attack on the government over the issue of freezing of the party’s accounts due to an Income Tax returns issue.

“Defreeze our accounts to ensure a level playing field in polls,” Congress president Kharge added.

According to Rahul Gandhi, this is not a freezing of the Congress’ accounts but a freezing of Indian democracy.

“There is no democracy in India today and the idea that India is the world’s largest democracy is a complete lie,” Rahul Gandhi alleged, terming the freezing of accounts a criminal action against the Congress and a criminal action by the prime minister and home minister.

“There are institutions that are supposed to protect the democratic framework but nothing is happening,” he said.

BJP सरकार में लोकतंत्र व विपक्षी पार्टी के ऊपर हमला हो रहा है।

कांग्रेस पार्टी के बैंक खाते को बंद कर आर्थिक रुप से कमजोर करने की कोशिश की जा रही है।

नरेंद्र मोदी का यह हमला कांग्रेस पार्टी पर ही नहीं, बल्कि देश के लोकतंत्र पर है।

चुनाव की घोषणा हो चुकी है, लेकिन विपक्षी… pic.twitter.com/X7pyuJyc9w

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 21, 2024

‘Money taken away forcefully’

According to Sonia Gandhi, money from the Congress’ accounts was being taken away forcefully.

“Systematic effort is underway by the prime minister to cripple the Congress financially,” she said, hitting out at the government.

On the one hand, is the electoral bonds issue, on the other, the finances of the principal opposition party are under assault, Sonia Gandhi said.

“Even under these challenges we are doing our best to maintain the effectiveness of our campaign,” Sonia Gandhi told reporters.

The issue, she said, is extremely serious and affects not just Congress but India’s democracy.

“I appeal to constitutional bodies that they should allow our party to access bank accounts if they want free and fair polls,” Kharge said.

The party in power, he said, amassed funds through electoral bonds while freezing the Congress’ accounts to create hurdles for it in fighting polls.

“Those in power should not have direct or indirect control over constitutional bodies,” he said, adding that those in power should not have a monopoly over resources.