Congress still arrogant, it is not above law: Anurag Thakur on I-T dept notices to party

PTI, Mar 30, 2024, 4:30 PM IST

Defending the issuance of fresh notices by the I-T department to the Congress, Union minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday lashed out at Congress for its “arrogance” and said the party is not above law.

Thakur claimed the Congress changed its name from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to hide its corruption.

“Congress is still arrogant due to its six- decade rule. If other political parties are honouring IT laws, why not Congress.

“Should there be a separate law for the party? Is the Congress not violating the laws? If they had tax exemptions, they just had to file their returns but they failed to do it. And secondly, they have received huge cash donations but they have not declared information related to it,” the minister told reporters on the sidelines of a public rally in support of BJP candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma here.

He said the Congress moved the appellate authority and also knocked on the doors of the courts but “they did not get any relief, which means that they were wrong and violated the rule of law.” Congress on Friday said it has received fresh notices from the Income tax department, asking it to pay Rs 1,823.08 crore. The party has also alleged that the BJP is in “serious violation” of tax laws for which authorities should demand more than Rs 4,600 crore from them.

The Congress also accused the ruling BJP of indulging in “tax terrorism” to financially cripple the opposition party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

“Congress has only changed its robes and by replacing the UPA with ‘INDI alliance’ (opposition INDIA bloc), which has not proved fruitful anywhere, … to hide its corruption, they have made the change but people know the corrupt and they know it is ‘Thagbandhan’,” the minister said. The Congress’ corruption was evident from the recovery of Rs 350 crore from the house of its leader (MP Dhiraj Sahu last year), he said.

He also accused Congress of “playing politics” over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying that while it raised the issue of liquor scam initially but when AAP leaders, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were arrested along with “staunch corrupt” Kejriwal, Congress stood with the AAP.

On the death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, the minister said there is no sin in ordering a judicial probe but “the truth is that he was a don and his death had put an end to his mafia era.” “What was the reason for his staying in jail for so long? He was a gangster and was involved in grave criminal activities like murder,” he said.

On alleged criticism of films like ‘Kashmir files’ and Article 370, he asked why Congress rejects the atrocities faced by the Kashmiri Pandits.

“The Congress is not accepting the reality. A majority of people did not know the truth but the screening of these movies has made it possible,” he said.