Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] general secretary Sitaram Yechury has written to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stating that the income tax notice served on the bank account of the party’s Thrissur district committee when the election process has begun is “violative” of a level playing field.
In his letter, Mr. Yechury alleged that the action of the Central agency was “ill-conceived” and urged the poll panel to put the order in abeyance till the election was over.
‘Details submitted’
He claimed that the details of the bank account had been submitted to the Income Tax department and the Election Commission as per law and no objections had been raised all through the year.
“Moreover, even though it was not required by any legal stipulation, the CPI(M) has been furnishing these details on its website in order to set an example of probity in public life,” he said.
“... We have to draw the attention of the Commission to the actions of a Central agency which is not only ill-conceived but thoroughly undermines the level playing field in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
The IT notices are totally “irregular and therefore, condemnable”, he alleged in the letter dated April 8 shared by the CPI(M) on the platform X on Monday.
‘I-T praise for CPI(M)‘
“It will be also pertinent to point out that several times in the past, the Income Tax authority has commended CPI(M)‘s record of compliance with the tax laws,” he said.
“The fact that this is happening when the election process has begun smacks of a premeditated political motivation of the Modi government against the CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala,” he alleged.
In another tax-related issue, the IT authority had submitted before the Supreme Court that it would not pursue such issues “during the pendency of the election, not to speak of, freezing of any bank account”,” he said, apparently referring to the matter related to tax notices to the Congress.
Mr. Yechury said they are not aware if the I-T department took clearance from the poll panel before the action.
“We urge you to issue a direction to the IT authority to put this obnoxious order in abeyance till the election process is over in pursuance of the power provided to the EC under Article 324 of the Constitution,” he said.
