Income Tax Department has served a fresh recovery notice of 1,823 crore rupees to Congress Party. According to official sources, the tax liabilities pertain to past several years.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the IT department is being used as a weapon to harass the principal opposition party. In a social media post, Mr Kharge said that Income Tax Department has already withdrawn 135 crore rupees from Congress party’s accounts, which is a fund collected by it through crowd-sourcing.

On the other hand, BJP has said that by leveling allegations against the Income Tax Department, the Congress leaders are reflecting their frustration. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi party spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said that the Congress party failed to follow the correct procedures for filing taxes or making appeals. He highlighted that authorities, ranging from the Commissioner of Income Tax to The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and even the Delhi High Court, have upheld the actions of the Income Tax Department. Mr Islam said, for any registered political party, it is mandatory under the Income Tax Act to file their income tax return every year. He said, the Congress party violated the condition and not only delayed the return but also misrepresented the income.