Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s timely intervention on the prompt alert by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy collapsed the Congress leadership’s attempts to issue a dubious Circular by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to save them from the tax default case in National Herald. Shockingly, on December 31, 2018, CBDT issued a dubious Circular diluting the tax burden on the fresh issue of shares.

These incidents prove that there are many traitors in every party and there are many keeping unholy relations cutting across party lines.

This was a cunning attempt engineered by the former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who is now the lead lawyer of Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi and with National Herald facing more than Rs.400 crores tax evasion case in the National Herald case. Congress leaders lost the case against Income Tax in all forums and now their last appeal is pending in the Supreme Court, where the case is scheduled on January 8. This dubious circular by CBDT was issued by a clever act by Congress leaders led by Chidambaram to save their High Command. The CBDT was forced to issue this order by Finance Ministry headed by Arun Jaitley. The idea was to show this circular to the Supreme Court in the next hearing to save Sonia and Rahul from tax default. The content of the circular is same as what Chidambaram and battery of Congress lawyers arguing in Supreme Court.

But this was collapsed after many honest Income Tax officials alerted BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who is the main petitioner in the National Herald case. Swamy alerted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS leadership about this fraud orchestrated in the Finance Ministry under Jaitley to save Sonia and Rahul from tax evasion case. According to highly placed officials, Modi ordered for the cancelation of this dubious CBDT Circular on January 3 and the Order was withdrawn by CBDT on January 4 in the evening[1].

Many senior Income Tax officers say this dubious move originated from the Finance Ministry in the garb of giving some relief to the new investors from Angel Tax. Chidambaram-friendly officers were behind this move, they say.

Hearing Modi’s direction on withdrawal of the dubious CBDT Order next came the Congress’ DRAMA! After the withdrawal of the Order, on January 4 evening, Congress conducted a Press Conference at AICC Head Quarters by Vivek Tankha MP and Ahmed Patel congratulating CBDT for issuing a new order on December 31, which was canceled few hours ago. Congress leaders said they are welcoming the CBDT Order! And declared that this circular vindicates their stand in the National Herald case![2] Actually, Congress was planning to quietly submit the CBDT Circular of December 31 in the Supreme Court on January 8 to get relief for Sonia and Rahul. But the plan collapsed due to Prime Minister’s intervention and the Circular was canceled on January 4. So a drama was created by calling a press conference thanking CBDT on January 4, for December 31 Circular, which was canceled hours before the Press Conference!

And next day Congress leaders started crying that the Order was withdrawn by “vendetta” filled Modi. Blaming Jaitley headed Finance Ministry, the BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that the Government should probe who all played the dirty games in issuing this dubious circular to save Sonia and Rahul from the tax evasion in National Herald case.

This is not the first time the Finance Ministry under Arun Jaitley has done double-dealings in the National Herald case. In mid-2014, weeks after the trial court summoned the Congress leaders, the Enforcement Directorate issued a dubious circular to its officers asking them not to register any money laundering cases based on the summons issued by courts. The illegal order also said that the officers should wait for the Supreme Court’s decisions and not to initiate actions. The circular was withdrawn after Subramanian Swamy filed complaints to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS leaders, blaming Arun Jaitley for covert operations.

It must be remembered Arun Jaitley’s controversial interview with Barkha Dutt in 2015. In his interview, Jaitley said if National Herald’s publisher Associated Journal Limited (AJL) pays back Rs.90 crores to Congress party, the case will end!. Now Income Tax found that the so-called loan of Rs.90 crores was just a hoax and this fake loan claim was nothing but a clever ploy by Sonia and Rahul to covertly take over the Rs.5000 crores worth land assets across in India by AJL.

These incidents prove that there are many traitors in every party and there are many keeping unholy relations cutting across party lines.

References:

[1] CBDT withdraws Circular on applicability of section 56(2)(viia) for shares issued by company in which public not substantially interested – Jan 4, 2019, ABCAUS.In

[2] Congress Press Conference – Jan 5, 2019, YouTube