India's main opposition party, the Congress, which won more than 100 million votes in the last election and represents 20% of the population, has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of freezing its bank accounts just two months before the world's biggest general elections. The party claims this move has crippled its ability to campaign effectively. The freezing of accounts is reportedly linked to an income tax case involving a late-reported lapse of Rs 16 lakh from eight years ago. In response, Congress leaders, including former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan and Rahul Gandhi, have criticized the government's actions as undemocratic and an assault on their political freedom. The BJP, on the other hand, defends the action, stating that all political parties must adhere to tax laws and that the Congress had failed to comply with IT rules, specifically mentioning an unaccounted transaction and acceptance of a donation worth Rs. 14 lakhs in violation of regulations.
#BreakingNews | "Congress did not comply with #IT rules," BJP lashes out at Congress on unaccounted transaction #funds News18's @DhantaNews @_pallavighosh share more #Congress #BJP #Politics | @akankshaswarups https://t.co/4wIKDZOSsM
#WATCH | #WATCH | 'The #Congress party skipped the tax return deadline and extended deadline in 2017-18... Secondly, any political party cannot accept cash donations of more than Rs. 20,000. However, the Congress had accepted a donation worth Rs. 14 lakhs,' says #BJP leader… https://t.co/CT66iblQ6U
#WATCH | Delhi: On Congress' allegation of freezing of the bank accounts, BJP leader Sambit Patra says, "... All political parties get an exemption in tax... Any party cannot be discriminated against in this... But why were Congress' accounts 'freezed'?... The Congress party… https://t.co/NMKlM6TORM
India tax agency seizes opposition funds ahead of world’s biggest election https://t.co/e0JljAj2tW https://t.co/EKXMgnq9n4
India’s main opposition party says its campaign is in tatters after tax authorities froze its accounts and seized its funds https://t.co/uaQK212837 https://t.co/uaQK212837
VIDEO | Here’s what former Maharashtra CM and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan (@prithvrj) said on the alleged freezing of bank accounts of the party by the Income Tax department. “An eight-year old case has been dug out for a lapse of Rs 16 lakh, reported late by one week. As… https://t.co/hnTFw9R07Y
India's opposition Congress party said its bank accounts have been frozen ahead of the general elections. https://t.co/RWkgy3jSYD
The Congress party, India’s main opposition political group, has accused PM Narendra Modi’s government of freezing its bank accounts. https://t.co/HqjSHWyBhz
India's main opposition party, Congress, has said it has been crippled ahead of elections starting next month. It accused Prime Minister Modi's ruling party of freezing its bank accounts. https://t.co/EgukUGrf9C
NEW: 🇮🇳 India’s Congress party, representing 20% of the population, has their bank accounts frozen just 2 months before elections 👀 All fiat money is political. #Bitcoin fixes this. https://t.co/Dc2uY8bSrN
Furore over funds | Congress' Rahul Gandhi says 'no democracy in India' over party funds being frozen; BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad terms it 'an excuse before imminent defeat' #Congress #BJP https://t.co/PdNySvT8uN
“All our bank accounts have been frozen” This is Gandhi’s political party, which won more than 100 million votes in the last Indian election Freedom money has never been more important https://t.co/DjFVzAQEGH
India's main opposition party says the Modi government has ‘crippled’ it before the upcoming election by freezing bank accounts in an income tax case. Read more: https://t.co/5RgZyGKzTO https://t.co/IiRKxyN0uZ
India's main opposition Congress party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of crippling it before the upcoming general election by freezing its accounts in an income tax case https://t.co/nNJyBHTQve