Tax reassessment reveals deep-seated corruption in Congress: BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi's pleas against the IT department's decision to reopen their 2011-2012 tax assessments reveal "deep-seated corruption" in the party.

Rahul Gandhi needs to answer many questions, Union minister Smriti Irani said, a day after the Delhi high court dismissed the Gandhis' challenge to reopen their tax assessments in connection with a case related to the National Herald newspaper.

"Yesterday's court judgment on appeal of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi reveals deep-seated corruption in the hallowed halls of the Congress party," Irani told reporters.

The rejection of the pleas of top Congress leaders, including Oscar Fernandes, will pave the way for the Income Tax Department to scrutinise their records for the assessment year 2011-12.

The "writ petitions have to fail", a bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and AK Chawla said while clarifying that the observations in the order with regard to the contentions of the Congress leaders are not conclusive and are recorded for the purpose of disposing of these petitions.