Rahul Gandhi responded to the Congress party receiving a fresh Income Tax notice of Rs 1,700 crore, stating that action would be taken once the government changes.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Income Tax Department has issued a demand notice amounting to Rs 1,700 crore to the Congress party. This notice, covering the assessment years from 2017-18 to 2020-21, includes penalties and interest charges. The issuance of this notice follows the dismissal of the party's petition by the Delhi High Court challenging the tax notices.

Reacting to the Income Tax Department's actions, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the ruling BJP-led government, accusing it of engaging in "tax terrorism." He warned that once the government changes, action will be taken against those responsible for undermining democracy.

Congress leader Ajay Maken also addressed the issue, alleging serious violations of tax laws by the BJP and suggesting that the IT department should demand over Rs 4,600 crore from the BJP. He announced that the party plans to approach the Supreme Court regarding this matter on April 1.

In response to the Congress' press conference, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of considering itself above the law and trying to evade taxes. He criticized the Congress for attacking the country's institutions and highlighted instances of financial irregularities within the party.

The Delhi High Court recently rejected Congress' petitions challenging the initiation of tax reassessment proceedings for the years 2014-15 to 2016-17. The court cited substantial evidence of unaccounted transactions amounting to Rs 520 crore related to elections in 2013, 2018, and 2019. The court also noted that Congress approached the court only shortly before the completion of assessment proceedings, indicating a lack of timely action on their part.

The IT Department's decision to re-open assessments from 2014 to 2021 was based on incriminating evidence found during searches, revealing unaccounted transactions by the Congress party.