The Congress party on Friday announced to hold a nationwide protest on Saturday and Sunday at the party’s state and district headquarters against the income-tax notices, the latest being of around ₹1,700 crore, which was sent earlier today.

The party further said that massive protests would be held in all constituencies, led by the Lok Sabha candidates, while mashal juloos would be conducted in all districts by the district Congress committees.

Read here: After Congress, CPI, Trinamool’s Saket Gokhale receive income tax notice. Details

In a letter addressed by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, the party said that the ruling BJP is thwarting the Indian democracy by illegally freezing the bank accounts of the grand old party amidst the general elections.

“As you are well aware, the systematic process to thwart Indian Democracy by the BJP proceeds at an alarming rate. An illegal attempt to freeze the bank accounts of the principal national opposition party – the Indian National Congress – last month in February has gone on for over a month on the eve of the national general election. Yesterday, we received fresh notices from the IT department to pay ₹1823.08 crores. Already the IT department has forcibly taken away ₹135 crores from our Bank account,” the letter read.

It further claimed that such moves ahead of the Lok Sabha elections are nothing but a blatant and naked attack on the very principals of democracy.

“Now in a patently illegal and undemocratic action, the Income Tax Department – has launched its next premeditated, diabolical campaign against the INC. Eight years of Income Tax returns of the INC have been reopened on baseless, manufactured grounds to levy patently illegal Income Tax Demand orders totalling thousands of crores of rupees. This is nothing but a blatant and naked attack on the very principals of democracy,” it added.

Congress urged the the states’ party Committees (PCCs) along with senior leaders and functionaries to hold protest across the country against the “imposition of tax terrorism”.

Read here: Congress gets ₹1,700 crore I-T notice in fresh setback ahead of Lok Sabha elections

“In light of this egregious attack on democracy and the imposition of tax terrorism on our party amidst the crucial Lok Sabha Elections, All Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) are requested to hold massive public demonstrations at the State and District headquarters in their respective states tomorrow and the following day, involving senior leaders and party functionaries. Massive protest demonstrations shall be held in all constituencies, led by our party candidates. Protest demonstrations, including Mashal Juloos, shall be conducted in all districts by the District Congress Committees,” it said.

The Congress’ move came hours after the tax authorities served it a notice of around ₹1,700 crore, after the Delhi high court dismissed the party’s petition challenging the reassessment proceedings for four years. The income tax department served the notice of ₹1,700 crore including penalty and interest for the assessment years 2017-18 and 2020-21.

Congress’ treasurer Ajay Maken reacted to the notice and claimed that while the BJP has committed significant violations, the Congress party has been unfairly targeted by the income tax authorities.

He alleged that the BJP is in serious violation of income tax laws and called on the tax authorities to raise a demand of more than ₹4,600 crore from the ruling party at the Centre.

“We have analysed all violations of the BJP using the same parameters they used to analyse our violations. BJP has a penalty of ₹4600 crore. The income tax department should raise demand from the BJP for the payment of this amount,” Maken said.

Read here: I-T dept should demand ₹4,600 crore from BJP: Congress’s big charge after fresh tax notices

Maken further claimed that the “BJP-ruled I-T department” has so far forcibly taken out ₹135 crore from the Congress’s bank accounts due to an alleged ₹14 lakh non-compliance demand against the party.

On March 13, the court rejected the Congress’s plea appealing an order of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal which had rejected its plea seeking a stay on a demand notice for around ₹105 crore issued by the tax department.

(With inputs from agencies)