NEW DELHI
\nThe Indian National Congress, India\u2019s main opposition party, said on Friday that the government had frozen its funds, just weeks before the country holds general elections.
\nCongress Treasurer Ajay Maken told reporters that the Income Tax Department had seized the party\u2019s accounts as part of an investigation into the tax filing in the financial year 2018-19 and issued a payment demand for 2.1 billion rupees ($25.3 million) in relation to the probe.
\nHe admitted that the party had filed its return 45 days late but said the move was unwarranted just weeks before elections.
\n\u201cWhen the opposition\u2019s accounts are frozen, it is equivalent to freezing the democracy,\u201d Maken said.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have any money to spend, to pay electricity bills, to pay salaries to our employees.\u201d
\nLater on Friday, an income tax tribunal granted the party temporary access to its funds ahead of a hearing next week.
\nMore than $10.3 million, however, remained frozen.
\n\u201cThis … is much more than we have in our current accounts,\u201d Maken said.
\nHe said the party\u2019s activities would be affected, including the 6,700 km \u201cUnite India\u201d march across the country, which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi began last month in a last-ditch effort to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s bid for a third term in office as the general election is expected to take place between April and May.
\nGandhi is a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which has given India four prime ministers and been seen as the main opponent to Modi\u2019s rule.
\nLast year, he was convicted of defaming Modi and excluded from parliament, with his membership reinstated only after a Supreme Court intervention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI The Indian National Congress, India\u2019s main opposition party, said on Friday that the government had frozen its funds, just weeks before the country holds general elections. Congress Treasurer Ajay Maken told reporters that the Income Tax Department had seized the party\u2019s accounts as part of an investigation into the tax filing in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-387554","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n