New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Saturday accused Union finance minister Arun Jaitley of terming the National Herald case as an offence under the Income-Tax (I-T) Act and giving an “indication” to the I-T department to issue notice to his party in the matter.
But Mr Jaitley said the government “will wait for the outcome of court proceedings. If there is a tax angle, then the taxation authorities will ask questions for which there is a due process. That action has so far not been taken. ED has not issued any notice. Tax authorities have not passed any assessment order,” Mr Jaitley said.
Speaking at a media event here, Mr Sibal rejected all charges of alleged cheating and siphoning off of money by the Congress from National Herald and said the issue has nothing to do with the disruption of Parliament.
“Your finance minister in his blogs and on Facebook says this is an offence under the I-T Act. He is the finance minister of this country. Does he have the right to make statements like that? He is giving a sort of indication to the I-T department that you send notice. And what has stopping of Parliament got to do with the case of National Herald? It is nothing to do with it,” Senior Congress leader said.
