The Congress party has confirmed that its bank accounts, which were previously frozen due to charges of financial misconduct, have now been 'unfrozen'. This reinstatement comes after a huge Income Tax (I-T) action against the party. The Congress' top leaders have already launched a scathing attack on the Modi administration, accusing it of exploiting governmental agencies to target opposition groups.
The I-T department had previously claimed that the party's auditors mishandled finances and accused the party of several tax violations. This led to the freezing of bank accounts. However, following a strong outcry and charges of political victimization from Congress, the freeze was lifted.
The entire episode has triggered intense debates across the political spectrum. Congress leaders launched a ferocious attack on the Modi government, claiming it was another undemocratic attempt to destroy the opposition. Given the timing of the abrupt I-T crackdown, many in the opposition camp saw it as a politically motivated effort, particularly because it occurred in the months leading up to important state elections.
In response to the incident, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted on X, "Power drunk Modi Government has frozen the accounts of the country's largest opposition party - the Indian National Congress - just before the Lok Sabha elections."
"This is a deep assault on India's Democracy," he went on to say. "That is why I have stated that there will be no elections in the future." "We appeal to the judiciary to save this country's multi-party system and protect India's democracy," the Congress president stated.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described the freezing of accounts as "shocking & utterly shameful". Blocking Congress' bank accounts, according to Sachin Pilot, "is a clear misuse of power."
"The Congress Party has always adhered to its governing principles and maintained openness in the funds raised through various channels and campaigns. Never in the history of political debate has a more explicit act of political revenge been unleashed on the other party. The BJP has hoarded 90% of the funds earned through electoral bonds, which were pronounced unlawful by the Honourable Supreme Court yesterday. The timing of all of these actions is suspect, and the motivation is plainly intentional. The BJP has done everything possible to silence opposition voices and has set a dangerous precedent for targeting opponents and undermining democratic processes," Sachin Pilot wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The leaders felt that the relief provided following the I-T move was more of a face-saving exercise for the administration.
The Congress has regularly accused the BJP-led administration of using coercive tactics to silence dissenting voices and weaken the opposition. The party sees the unfreezing of its accounts as a moral triumph in its struggle against what it considers political retribution.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court declared on Thursday that the Centre's electoral bonds scheme for anonymous political fundraising was "unconstitutional" and ordered that the bond's contributors, value, and recipients be made public by March 13.
