Congress candidate, from Pauri Garhwal, Ganesh Godiyal gets income tax summons

Dehradun: The Income Tax Department has sent summons to Congress candidate from Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat Ganesh Godiyal asking him to appear in person at its office in Thane in Maharashtra on March 22.

The I-T department's move has drawn a sharp reaction from the former PCC president who termed it a "handiwork of the BJP" to harass him.

"I received three I-T notices on March 19, one in my name, one in my wife's name and the other in the name of a firm under which I worked before 2018. They are summons which ask me to appear at the I-T department's office in Thane (Maharashtra) on March 22," Godiyal said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Godiyal was the president of the state Congress before he was succeeded by Karan Mahara.

"It has been done at the behest of the BJP which is notorious for using the central agencies to harass its political adversaries," he said.

Godiyal is pitted against BJP's Anil Baluni in the Pauri Lok Sabha seat. Accusing the BJP of "stooping to cheap methods" to demoralise the opposition in the face of a tough challenge from him in the Lok Sabha seat, Godiyal said the summons have been sent to him with an intention not to let him focus on the coming polls.

"I have done nothing wrong. They can harass me but can do no harm to me. The BJP must understand that we are the followers of Bhagat Singh. We can be hanged but will never compromise with our values," he said.

He alleged the Centre is trying to make sure he doesn't win the election but the people of the constituency will not let him lose. Asked whether he would visit the I-T office in Thane on March 22, he said his lawyers have communicated to the I-T department that he will respond to the summons after the polls.

When asked what the summons are about, Godiyal said it says nothing specific. It only asks me to present myself at its office in Thane on March 22.