New Delhi:

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has leveled serious accusations against the government just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, saying the prime minister has taken systemic steps to weaken the party’s economic strength. Senior leader Rahul Gandhi also leveled the same accusation.

The BJP dismissed the Congress party’s allegations and said the party was seeking to create an alibi and was “desperate of imminent defeat”. Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nadda also said the Congress “easily pins its irrelevant blame on financial issues”.

Mrs Gandhi told a press conference on Thursday: “The issue we are discussing today is extremely serious. It is an issue that not only affects the Indian National Congress but fundamentally affects our democracy itself. The Prime Minister is taking systematic efforts to improve the financial Weakening the Indian National Congress. Funds raised from the public were frozen and money from our accounts was forcibly taken away.”

The former Congress president’s statement was in reference to the party’s claim last month that the Income Tax Department had frozen Rs 115 crore in its bank accounts after it received tax demands of Rs 210 crore as dues and penalties for the financial year 2018-19. rupee.

Days later, Congress leader Ajay Maken alleged that the department had withdrawn Rs 65 crore from three accounts of the party, even as the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal was hearing a petition against the claim . Earlier this month, the court refused to entertain the party’s petition to halt the department’s action on its bank accounts.

Mrs. Gandhi said, “However, we are trying our best to maintain the effectiveness of our campaign even in these most challenging circumstances. On one hand, the issue of electoral bonds has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.” As we all know, electoral bonds make The BJP has benefited hugely.

“On the other hand, the finances of the main opposition party are under determined attack. We all agree that this is unprecedented and undemocratic,” she added.

At a news conference on Thursday, Markham said in Hindi that the “attack” on Congress’s bank accounts was an attack on democracy. He asked: “If the main opposition party is completely paralyzed financially and cannot spend money on propaganda, campaigning or provide funds to candidates, then why should there be an election?”

Mr Maken said Congress has not yet been able to use the Rs 285 crore in its account and a fresh notification relating to 1994-95 was also received last week. “At this rate, they will go back to the days of Mahatma Gandhi when Jamnalal Bajaj was treasurer and cherry-pick something to send us notices and freeze our accounts before the elections.”

“Impaired combat capability”

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the party’s financial identity was “erased” a month ago. “This was actually done two months before the election. One notification was from the 90s and one was from six or seven years ago. The quantum? Rs 14 lakh. And the penalty? Our entire financial identity… We fought the election The capability has been compromised. We have lost a month.”

“This is a crime against the Congress party, it is a crime committed by the prime minister and the home minister, that is very clear. In India today, without them, this kind of activity would not have happened… This was carefully planned “Weaken us electorally. No court said anything. The election commission said nothing. No agency said anything,” he claimed.

Replying to a question about the controversy over his ‘shakti’ remarks, Mr Gandhi said: “We are fighting against hate-filled people. ‘Asura Shakti’“. At a rally, the Congress leader had said “we are fighting Shakti” before clarifying that he was not talking about religious powers but Shakti of corruption and lies. However, Narendra Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders lashed out at Mr Gandhi and accused him of insulting Hinduism.