Income Tax Action: Congress To Stage Nationwide Protests On Saturday, Sunday

New Delhi: Stung by the latest notice served by Income Tax department on Friday, Congress announced a nationwide protest on Saturday and Sunday at the party’s state and district headquarters.

Lok Sabha election candidates will lead massive protests in all constituencies, while mashal juloos will be conducted in all districts by the district Congress committees.

The move came hours after tax authorities served the grand old party a notice of Rs 1,700 crore, including penalty and interest for the assessment years 2017-18 and 2020-21. On Thursday, Delhi High Court dismissed Congress’ petition challenging the reassessment proceedings for four years.

In a letter addressed by the party’s general secretary K C Venugopal, Congress said that the ruling BJP is thwarting Indian democracy by illegally freezing its bank accounts amidst the general elections.

“As you are well aware, the systematic process to thwart Indian democracy by the BJP proceeds at an alarming rate. An illegal attempt to freeze the bank accounts of the principal national opposition party – the Indian National Congress – last month in February has gone on for over a month on the eve of the national general election. Yesterday, we received fresh notices from the IT department to pay Rs 1823.08 crore. Already the IT department has forcibly taken away Rs 135 crore from our bank account,” the letter stated.

“Now in a patently illegal and undemocratic action, the Income Tax Department has launched its next premeditated, diabolical campaign against the INC. Eight years of Income Tax returns of the INC have been reopened on baseless, manufactured grounds to levy patently illegal Income Tax Demand orders totalling thousands of crores of rupees. This is nothing but a blatant and naked attack on the very principals of democracy,” it added.

The party urged the state party committees (PCCs) along with senior leaders and functionaries to hold protest across the country against the ‘imposition of tax terrorism’.

“In light of this egregious attack on democracy and the imposition of tax terrorism on our party amidst the crucial Lok Sabha Elections, All Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) are requested to hold massive public demonstrations at the State and District headquarters in their respective states tomorrow and the following day, involving senior leaders and party functionaries. Massive protest demonstrations shall be held in all constituencies, led by our party candidates. Protest demonstrations, including Mashal Juloos, shall be conducted in all districts by the District Congress Committees,” Venugopal’s letter said.