Huge cash in BSP account: ED shares info with I-T department

The information shared by ED includes details of Rs 12.09 cr in the said account in Sept this year

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the income tax (I-T) department and shared relevant documents with regard to its detection of cash deposits totalling over Rs 104 crore in an account of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and another Rs 1.43 crore in an account belonging to BSP chief Mayawati’s brother Anand in a bank branch here.

Officials said the ED had formally shared the records with the I-T department that also talks about the chronology of deposits made in the said party account between November 8 and December 12 totalling Rs 104.36 crore. They said the I-T department had been informed, as it has the power to go into the legality of donations and contributions made to political parties.

The information shared by the agency also includes details of Rs 12.09 crore in the said account in September this year, apart from a similar chronology obtained by the ED, from the bank on the account of Anand.

The ED had on Monday detected these deposits as part of its routine survey and operations to check suspicious and huge cash deposits in banks and had visited Union Bank of India’s Karol Bagh branch.

Mayawati on Tuesday charged the Centre with misusing official machinery and trying to tarnish her party’s image.

At a hurriedly convened press conference in Lucknow, the BSP chief said, “All deposits are as per norms and party rules and the money was collected before note ban. Should we have thrown it?”

When the ED sleuths called for the records of the deposits made in the BSP account, it was found that while about Rs 101 crore was deposited in Rs 1,000 notes, the rest Rs 3 crore was deposited in the old Rs 500 notes.

The agency had also detected another account in the same branch belonging to Anand, where a total of Rs 1.43 crore was found. A sum of Rs 18.98 lakh was deposited using old notes.