‘They are targeting opposition’: Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar after Income Tax issues notice to Congress

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy CM and state party President DK Shivakumar launched a scathing attack on the BJP over the income tax notice on Saturday and said that the ruling government was targeting the opposition.

Exuding confidence in winning the Lok Sabha polls, the Deputy CM said that the INDIA Alliance is going to defeat the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and that the BJP has understood this weakness.

“There is democracy in this country. There is a law. The BJP government is directing the officials and taking this kind of action. They are targeting the Opposition, which means they are afraid of the Congress and the INDIA Alliance. The INDIA Alliance is going to defeat the NDA. The BJP has understood this weakness. They know they will lose the elections. Hence they are trying to create fear. Yesterday night, I also got a notice from IT for a matter that is already settled,” Shivakumar said.

In mounting troubles for Congress amid the Lok Sabha poll campaign, the Income Tax Department has issued a demand notice of about Rs 1700 crore to the party, sources said.

They said the fresh demand notice is for assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest.

The Delhi High Court had earlier this week dismissed the party’s plea, challenging Income Tax Department’s order opening of reassessment proceedings against it for 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21.

The Division Bench of Justice Yashwant Verma and Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav on Thursday dismissed four pleas filed by the Congress on similar terms as its earlier judgement, whereby identical pleas of the same political party were dismissed regarding the reassessment proceedings for three years.

Recently, the Delhi High Court upheld the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) order refusing to stay on the Income Tax notice for recovery of more than Rs 105 crore as outstanding tax against the Congress. The Court while upholding the ITAT order, granted liberty to the petitioner’s Congress party to move the appellate tribunal afresh with the grievance.

The Congress has recently approached the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) against the recovery and has filed a complaint and sought a stay against Income Tax Department proceedings of recovery and “freezing” of their Bank accounts. (ANI)

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