'BJP Should Pay Rs 4,600 Crore': Congress Slams Income Tax Dept, ECI After Getting Rs 1,700-Crore Notice

The Congress party held a press conference after a notice was served to it by the Income Tax department for Rs 1700 crore.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh addresses the press conference ( Image Source :YouTube/Congress )

The Congress party on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Income Tax department and the Election Commission of India after the party was served a notice for Rs 1700 crore. 

Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Ajay Maken said that the Bharatiya Janata Party has not furnished details of donation to the tune of Rs 42 crore, but penalised his party for Rs 14 lakh received by it in cash.  

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said, "The electoral bond scam was done through different routes- prepaid bribe route, postpaid bribe route, post-raid group, and there was a shell company group."

"This is tax terrorism, and this is being used to attack the Congress...," he added. 

"...We have analysed all violations of the BJP using the same parameters they used to analyse our violations... BJP has a penalty of Rs 4600 crore. The income Tax department should raise a demand from the  BJP for the payment of this amount...," Maken said. 

"We have received notices from the time of Sitaram Kesari, from 1993-94... We have been demanded to pay Rs 53 crores from the time of Sitaram Kesari. A total of Rs 1823 crores has been made by the IT department from Congress," he added. 

The party held the press conference hours after the Income Tax Department served a notice of approximately Rs 1,700 crore to the party. The demand notice pertains to assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest. 

The I-T department had earlier seized Rs 135 crore from Congress bank accounts in Delhi, related to tax arrears and interests for the assessment year 2018-19. The action was taken after the party was denied exemption due to its failure to meet prescribed conditions. 

A petition moved by the party in Delhi High Court on Thursday challenging the income tax reassessment proceedings for the financial years 2017-18 to 2020-21 was also dismissed by the court.