I-T Dept serves notice on Munde

The BJP veteran and Maharashtra stalwart had claimed that he spent Rs 8 crore during Lok Sabha elections

After receiving notice from the Election Commission, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde has now been sent a notice by the Income Tax (I-T) Department, seeking explanation on his claims that he had spent Rs 8 crore during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, which he contested from Beed. Munde has been asked to reply within a week.

“We have served a notice to Munde,” confirmed an I-T official on Wednesday.

Munde was not available for comment, but his office confirmed that he had received notice from the I-T department.

Munde had made the remark about spending Rs 8crore in the 2009 parliamentary elections at a book release function held on June 27, in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

“I spent Rs 29,000 when I contested my first Assembly poll in 1980 but spent Rs 8 crore in my last (2009 Lok Sabha) election,” Munde had said.

Taking cognisance of Munde's claims, the Election Commission had slapped a show-cause notice on him.

Maharashtra BJP unit chief Devendra Fadanvis has down played the controversy over Munde's remarks.

 However, another BJP leader, who did not want to be identified, alleged that this was a ‘conspiracy’,  hatched by the Pawar family, which heads the ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The NCP, which is quite desparate to checkmate Munde in his home district Beed and also at the state level, is targetting the latter as it perceives him as a threat, said the leader.

The NCP’s state spokesperson Nawab Malik, though, refuted the allegation, stating that Munde should come clean.