IT notice to AAP, Kejriwal cries foul

A day after completing five years in politics, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday was served a notice for Rs 30.67 crore by the Income Tax Department over donations it received.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal described the IT Department action as "height of political vendetta".

IT officials said the notice was issued in the   normal course when tax returns are taken up for scrutiny. The notice was issued under section 156 (notice of demand) of Income Tax Act.

They said similar notices have been issued to other parties and institutions too. "The notice to AAP is for income arising from various sources, including donations," they said. AAP has been given time till December 7 to respond.

Officials claimed the money received in the party's bank account was not recorded in account books.

Reacting, Kejriwal tweeted, "In the history of India, all donations to a political party have been declared illegal. All these were accounted for and shown in books of accounts. This is a height of political vendetta."

Not first time

AAP National Treasurer Deepak Bajpai claimed all its donations have been declared taxable income. He said in a statement that his party has made all political donations transparent in its attempts to bring out Indian politics from the muddle of black money. "The government is trying to harass us...This is selective targeting of AAP," Bajpai said.

This is not the first time AAP is getting a notice from authorities. Earlier, notices were issued to AAP over foreign donations. A notice was also issued citing discrepancies in the list of donors submitted to the IT Department and those uploaded on AAP website.