Chandigarh Cong holds protest against tax notices

Chandigarh, Mar 30 (PTI) The Chandigarh unit of Congress Saturday held a protest here against the Income Tax department over fresh assessment notices to the party.

The Congress had said Friday it received IT notices, asking it to pay around Rs 1,823 crore. The party had accused the ruling BJP of indulging in “tax terrorism” to financially cripple the opposition party and alleged that democracy was “under threat” in the BJP government. Chandigarh Congress workers held the protest outside the Congress Bhawan here on Saturday. They were holding placards which mentioned ‘Save democracy’. Speaking to reporters here, Chandigarh Congress president H S Lucky alleged that the notices were being sent to the Congress at the behest of the BJP-led Centre to ensure no level-playing field in the Lok Sabha polls.

“The Modi government is doing it deliberately in order to end level-playing field. Opposition leaders are being sent to jail while funds of rival political parties are being frozen,” he further alleged.

“The Income Tax department is doing it deliberately so that free and fair elections do not take place,” he charged. “It does not want that the Congress could give funds to its candidates and it can spend money on campaigning.” Lucky called the notices sent by the Income Tax department as ‘nadirshahi hukam’ (a diktat). He said the BJP is giving a slogan of ‘400-paar’ (400-plus seats for NDA), while sending notices through the I-T department to opposition leaders and was “misusing” the CBI and the ED against them. “People of the country are watching it. The end of the Modi government is certain,” he alleged.