I-T dept sends Munde notice

The Income-Tax department served a notice on Wednesday to deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde,who recently admitted

The Income-Tax department served a notice on Wednesday to deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde,who recently admitted to spending Rs 8 crore during the 2009 Parliament elections. The department wants to know the source of the money.

The BJP is worried as Munde is to lead the party campaign for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra next year. A Munde aide said,I-T has served a notice. Munde is consulting his chartered accountants and legal experts. He will reply to the notice shortly.

Last week,the senior BJP leader,who is a member of Parliament from Beed in Marathwada,had invited an Election Commission EC notice.

BJP spokesman Madhav Bhandari defended Munde. The income-tax notice is a political ploy of the Congress and the NCP. The Congress and the NCP are using government agencies to tarnish the image of Munde. The BJP is not worried. Munde will reply to the notice appropriately.

He said the BJP was backing Munde but sources said the party was concerned that the NCP is trying to corner the deputy Leader of Opposition on his home turf of Beed.

NCP president Sharad Pawar,who is drawing up plans seat-wise for the Parliament elections,has listed Beed as a difficult seat.

At an NCP meeting last week,senior party leader and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and others reportedly decided to use the services of NGOs and RTI activists to rake up old issues to pressure Munde.

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An NCP general secretary said,In politics,nothing is unfair. During 1994-95,Munde used similar tactics to corner the then chief minister Sharad Pawar. He tried to show Pawar had links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim,which could never be established.

The NCP also justified exploiting the Munde family feud. Mundes estranged nephew Dhananjay Munde had announced on Tuesday his decision to quit the BJP and join the NCP.