‘Obvious attempt to distract voters’: BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar hits back at Congress amid row over poll affidavit

Earlier this week, the EC, acting on a complaint by the Congress, asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes to verify the poll affidavit submitted by Chandrasekhar. The complaint stated that the Union Minister had given false information about his financial status in his election affidavit.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: April 11, 2024 06:42 PM IST

3 min read

Indian Deputy Minister for Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, speaks during an interview with Reuters at his office in New Delhi. (Reuters)

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday hit out at the Congress amid the row over his poll affidavit, saying it is an “obvious attempt to distract voters”.

“This obvious attempt to distract voters from main issues of Progress, Development, Jobs, Skills, Investments will NOT work,” he wrote in a post on X.

Talking about his income, he said: “I am only in public life for several years and my income is derived only (from) MP or Minister’s salary and perks, and interest/dividend from savings/investments.”

He added, “Year 2021-2022 my taxable income was sharply reduced because of partnership losses incurred during the Covid period. My 18-year-career in public life has been totally free from any blemish despite many attempts by (the Congress), including their recent attempt after my entry into Thiruvananthapuram.”

His remarks came after the Election Commission on Tuesday asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to verify the poll affidavit submitted by Chandrasekhar, in which he has declared Rs 680 as taxable income for 2021-2022.

Stepping up the attack against the grand old party, the Union Minister said the “Congress’s first family is on trial for stealing properties and transferring it to their name surreptitiously.” He also referred to a candidate who allegedly had to resign as minister for his illegal IPL “interests”.

“Irony certainly died when Congress whose first family is on trial for stealing properties and transferring it to their name surreptitiously and other shenanigans and a candidate who had to resign as minister for his illegal IPL “interests” start talking abt disclosures and taxation,” he wrote on X.

Following the Election Commission’s direction to the CBDT, the Congress in its complaint had alleged infirmities in the values of Chandrasekhar’s assets, investments and income. The opposition party said this was a violation of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Indian Penal Code.

From the homepage