New Delhi: The troubles for Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems to be never-ending, with the latest addition of slapping of a legal notice worth Rs 30.67-crore by the Income Tax Department over sources of funding to the party.The IT Department gave the Delhi ruling party 10 days' time till December 7, to explain sources of it's funding, including the alleged foreign aid it received from various quarters.
Pointing towards the timing of the legal notice, the AAP leaders flooded socio-microblogging site Twitter with their strong reactions.While Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the Centre of political vendetta against the AAP, National Treasurer of the party Deepak Bajpai took to poetry.Mr Kejriwal alleged that the tax crackdown was part of the Central Government's strategy to persecute AAP and discredit its anti-corruption mission.According to Mr Bajpai, ''AAP is a Rose plant, every time they mow it down, a new, more aromatic plant will come in its place, troubling them more with its fragrance of revolution.''
Terming the notice as bogus and baseless, Mr Bajpai said first time in the Independent India has this happened, that the whole funding of a political outfit has been declared illegal, converting it into taxable income.Claiming that AAP received foreign praise in its fight against political parties over use of black money, the AAP National Treasurer said those who themselves have numerous charges against them, were levelling baseless allegations.
Launching a veiled attack on the Centre, he alleged that every single government machinery is being used to silence voices raised against them.''The party has account of every single rupee received. Even Rs 10 is documented,'' he added.Former AAP treasurer Raghav Chadha tweeted, ''Only political party that maintains 100% propriety, transparency and compliance in it's funding being targeted yet again. Centre's vendetta comes out as an all-out war on this political toddler called AAP as they declare all our donations illegal.''(UNI)