The AAP has mentioned that the freezing of financial institution accounts of the Congress and the Youth Congress by the Earnings Tax division simply earlier than the Lok Sabha elections was “a conspiracy to rig the elections by the BJP”.
Addressing the media on Friday, senior AAP leaders and Delhi Ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi claimed that the freezing of the accounts of the Congress was “an attack on democracy” and a “direct attempt to influence the elections in democracy”.
“I think this is very unfortunate and a direct attempt to influence the elections in democracy. Elections are going to be announced in a week or two and freezing the bank account of the primary opposition party before that is completely illegal and undemocratic,” Saurabh Bharadwaj mentioned.
Atishi mentioned, “A pattern is visible that the central government is using every one of its agencies against the opposition. First, notices from the ED and CBI are sent to the opposition parties one after the other. Sometimes, they are sent to the AAP, sometimes to the Congress, sometimes to the TMC, sometimes to the NCP, sometimes they are sent to the DMK. One after the other, the opposition parties are intimidated and threatened, their leaders are sent to jail through the probe agencies.”
“First, you intimidated the parties, sent their leaders to jail and make it difficult for them to contest elections. Now, you are trying to freeze whatever money they have to contest elections. Today, this has happened with the Congress party, but I can say with certainty that in the next 15 days, before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force, this will happen with other opposition parties too,” she said.
Alleging unconventional tactics of rigging elections adopted by the BJP, Atishi further said there was a time when elections were rigged through booth capturing, and now it is being done by “eliminating opposition parties”.
Referring to the electoral bonds issue, Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “Yesterday the Supreme Court declared electoral bonds illegal and unconstitutional and for the first time, everyone came to know that the BJP was benefitted the most from it. The BJP got about Rs 6,566 crore from big corporate houses, while the AAP got only Rs 94 crore. We demand from the BJP that it should declare which corporate houses and which companies gave this money to them. Did the BJP’s central government and their state governments benefit these corporate houses in some way or another? I think the BJP should declare this thing on moral grounds,” he mentioned.
Congress Treasurer Ajay Maken on Friday mentioned the get together’s financial institution accounts have been frozen. Maken, whereas addressing a press convention, additionally mentioned the Youth Congress get together’s checking account had additionally been frozen.