The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lashed out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday after the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal upheld the cancellation of Young Indian’s tax exemption certificate, and accused the Gandhis of indulging in “corruption”. Both the Congress leaders hold stake in this company.
Rahul Gandhi had appealed against the I-T department’s decision in July to scrap the charitable trust status to the company, saying that the tax exemption they enjoyed could not be reversed retrospectively.
On Friday, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal had dismissed his please and held that it is a commercial organization. With the rejection of the application, the income tax case of Rs 100 crore against him will open again.
Senior BJP leader and union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said this is the ‘family model of development’ where they become owners of properties worth Rs 2,000 crore at an investment of just Rs 50 lakh. The figure of Rs 2000 crore is just an assumption, and it could be even higher, he said.
“It is simply corruption. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should stop talking about corruption. The veil has been lifted by the court’s decision. I want to ask both Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, will they tell the nation the truth about this entire engagement? Will they answer the questions of the people of the country?” Prasad said.
{{/usCountry}}“It is simply corruption. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should stop talking about corruption. The veil has been lifted by the court’s decision. I want to ask both Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, will they tell the nation the truth about this entire engagement? Will they answer the questions of the people of the country?” Prasad said.
{{/usCountry}}“For Congress, family and commerce run hand-in-hand, are integrally linked and given a political colour,” he said.
The Congress, however, refused to comment on the Young Indian tax files, saying that the matter was sub-judice.
Speaking to the media, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “What is sub-judice need not be commented upon.” “But I can assure you that the majesty of law will prevail and the truth will come out in the open as Young Indian is a not-for-profit company and neither (Narendra) Modiji and nor his cronies can change this inalienable truth,” Surjewala added.