New Delhi: On February 16, 2024, Congress Treasurer Ajay Maken announced that the Income Tax Agency has frozen the bank accounts of the Indian National Congress and Indian Youth Congress. “Democracy has completely ended in India. All the accounts of the country's main opposition party have been frozen,” Maken said in a press conference.
Maken stated that the grand old party was notified on Thursday that the bank is refusing to honour the checks that the party had issued. According to Maken, the action was taken against a 45-day delay in filing the 2018–19 Income Tax (IT) return.
Four Congress party accounts have been frozen in total. According to Maken, in order to get their account defreezed, the party has contacted the Income-Tax Appellate Authority (ITAT). Maken continued, saying that the party does not now have enough money to spend, pay its bills, or pay salaries to its staff.
He said, "We appealed in the Income Tax appellate tribunal the day before yesterday and the hearing is going on. We believe in the Judiciary. Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra arrived in Bihar on Friday. The Yatra reached its final stage in Bihar and is scheduled to enter Uttar Pradesh later today."
It is not a freezing of Congress’ account but democracy has been frozen, Maken added. "When the announcement for elections are just a month away, they have frozen the account of the principal Opposition party,” he said at a press conference in New Delhi. “Will there be a single party rule in the country?” he told the press.
The party was issued a demand of ₹210 crore by the IT department. Maken said that the party was 40–45 days late in filing their 2018–19 IT reports, the deadline being December 31, 2019.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appealed to the Judiciary to preserve the multi-party system and "protect India's Democracy" in a post on X (previously Twitter), calling the I-T department's action a "assault on democracy."
Regarding the Yatra, Maken added that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also join it led by Rahul Gandhi as it entered UP on Friday evening. She will join her brother in Chandauli after the yatra entered the state from Bihar, he informed.
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