National
AAP dubs Rs 30 cr tax notice ‘bogus’; BJP, Congress ask it to come clear (Roundup)
New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) A Rs 30.67 crore Income Tax department notice to the Aam Aadmi Party on Monday triggered a political row with Delhi’s ruling party terming the move as “bogus” and “political vendetta” by the agencies of the Modi government.
The Congress and BJP, however, asked the AAP to come clear on the issue and alleged that the party had failed to live up to its self-proclaimed standards of transparency and probity.
Slamming the notice, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the action of the IT department was the “height of political vendettta”.
“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 the height of political vendetta,” Kejriwal said in a tweet.
AAP also held a press conference and said it had maintained a record of every donation.
“The IT Department has declared the complete amount of donations we received as illegal and has put it under the category of taxable income although we have maintained the records of each paisa that we received from donors,” AAP treasurer Deepak Bajpai said.
The IT notice said the AAP had not disclosed income of Rs 13.16 crore and that its total taxable income was Rs 68.44 crore for 2014-15 and 2015-16. It also said the money received as donation in its bank account had not been recorded in the account books.
The notice also said that AAP had not recorded full details of 461 donors who had given a total of Rs 6.26 crore, each donation amount exceeding Rs 20,000.
The AAP was also accused of not disclosing the donations on its web site.
“The latest notice to the party was served on November 23,” a senior IT official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told IANS.
The official also said that the notice was sent after assessing all the tax records of the party and was part of routine tax assessment and not a vindictive action.
The official said that AAP has been asked to file its reply to the latest notice by December 7 and added that the party had been given 34 chances earlier to explain allegations that it had concealed details of some of its overseas donations.
Bajpai said AAP had been keeping and maintaining books of accounts and other documents (of contribution in excess of Rs 20,000) under Section 13A of the Income Tax Act.
“We have been submitting reports to the Election Commission about the donations received as per the law,” he said.
“The whole country knows how other parties finance themselves through black money, yet it is AAP which is being targeted using different agencies. This shows that the IT notice is nothing but a vindictive action,” he said.
Another party leader, Raghav Chadha, tweeted: “Only political party that maintains 100 per cent propriety, transparency and compliance in its funding is being targeted yet again. Centre’s vendetta comes out as an all-out war on this political toddler called AAP as they declare all our donations illegal.”
Suspended AAP leader Kapil Mishra, however, hit out at AAP. “You submitted different details to EC, different one to IT and (were) caught taking hawala money,” Mishra tweeted.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said that it was strange that the AAP, which professed to do different politics when it was formed five years ago, has been issued a tax notice.
He demanded that the Centre should hold a thorough probe into the funding of AAP following the IT department’s notice.
Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said Kejriwal claimed that AAP was transparent in financial matters but since formation of the party its financial issues have been under suspicion.
“Instead of indulging in blame game, AAP should satisfy the law authorities on the notice served to them. It is time Arvind Kejriwal comes clear on the financial issues or he should be prepared for the party being written off by people,” Tiwari said.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.