Reacting sharply to the Income Tax department serving a fresh notice to the Congress party asking it to pay ₹1,823.08 crore, All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal has accused the BJP-led Union government of “stifling Congress financially” in its bid to make the main Opposition party bankrupt.
Speaking to reporters in Alappuzha on Friday, Mr. Venugopal said the Narendra Modi government was trying to choke Opposition parties and silence protesting voices ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
“Political parties are typically exempted from paying taxes. We have been served the notice citing a delay in filing returns. This is a deliberate attempt by the Modi government to bankrupt the Congress party during the election period. The BJP is using the administrative mechanism to target Congress as it knows well that they will face a major setback in the polls,” Mr. Venugopal said, adding that the Congress would organise a nationwide protest on Saturday and Sunday against the misuse of central agencies by the government.
