Congress gets Rs. 1,700 crore demand notice by I-T department
What's the story
The Income Tax Department has issued a demand notice of Rs. 1,700 crore to the Congress on Friday, news agency ANI reported.
The fresh demand notice is for assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest, it added.
Notably, the party has accused the Centre of trying to cripple the Congress ahead of the general elections, set to begin on April 19.
Congress's statement
I-T department 'undemocratic': Tankha
Party leaders said that this notice followed the rejection of their petition challenging reassessment proceedings for four assessment years by the Delhi High Court on Thursday.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP and lawyer Vivek Tankha the party will move to higher courts against the move.
He also criticized the I-T Department as "undemocratic" and "unreasonable."
Tax department
Lok Sabha campaign affected due to I-T department's move: Congress
To recall, the tax department collected Rs 135 crore from Congress's Delhi bank accounts for tax arrears and interests from the assessment year 2018-19.
The party was denied exemption during this period due to its failure to meet specified conditions.
In the earlier petition, which was dismissed last week, the Congress had challenged the initiation of re-assessment proceedings for assessment years 2014-15 to 2016-17.
Press conference
Sonia Gandhi's attack on PM Modi
In a rare press conference earlier this month, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of a "systematic effort to cripple Congress financially" ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
"The finances of the principal opposition party, the INC, are under a determined assault," she said.
Kharge's statement
BJP accused of hoarding election resources by Congress
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of hoarding election resources and attempting to prevent the Congress from contesting in elections by financially attacking it.
He stressed that for democracy to work effectively, elections must be conducted fairly.
The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases and the results will be announced on June 4.