New Delhi: In a startling accusation just weeks before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has accused the Prime Minister of orchestrating a systematic effort to financially cripple the Indian National Congress. The allegation, echoed by senior leader Rahul Gandhi, comes amidst a backdrop of escalating tensions between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
Addressing reporters at a press conference on Thursday, Sonia Gandhi stated, “The issue we are addressing today is of utmost seriousness. It not only affects the Indian National Congress but strikes at the very heart of our democracy. There is a deliberate attempt by the Prime Minister to incapacitate the Indian National Congress financially. Funds gathered from public contributions are being seized, and money from our accounts is being forcefully withdrawn.”
The former Congress president’s remarks stem from recent events where the Income Tax Department froze Rs 115 crore in the party’s bank accounts, citing tax demands and penalties from the financial year 2018-19. Congress leader Ajay Maken later revealed that Rs 65 crore had been withdrawn from three of the party’s accounts despite ongoing legal proceedings.
Sonia Gandhi continued, “Despite facing these formidable challenges, we are striving to maintain the efficiency of our election campaign. On one hand, the issue of electoral bonds, declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, has disproportionately favored the BJP. On the other hand, the principal opposition party’s finances are under relentless assault. We believe this to be unprecedented and undemocratic.”
During the press conference, Congress leader Ajay Maken condemned the attack on the party’s bank accounts as an assault on democracy, questioning the necessity of elections if the principal opposition party is financially incapacitated.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi lamented the erasure of the party’s financial identity just months before the elections. “This has been done merely two months before the election. One notice from the 90s, another from six-seven years ago. The amount? Rs 14 lakh. The consequence? Our entire financial identity… Our ability to contest the election has already been compromised. We have lost valuable time.”
Accusing the Prime Minister and Home Minister of orchestrating criminal actions against the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi asserted, “This has been done to debilitate us in the elections, and no institution is intervening.”
In response to queries regarding his recent “shakti” remark, Rahul Gandhi clarified, “We are battling against the ‘asura-shakti’ of hatred,” emphasizing that his statement was not directed towards religious powers but against corruption and falsehood.
The BJP has dismissed the Congress’ allegations, labeling them as desperate tactics in anticipation of their impending defeat in the elections.
