₹650cr discrepancy found in accounts: I-T dept

MUMBAI: The Income Tax Department continued its search and survey operation against film-maker Anurag Kashyap, actress Tapsee Pannu, production house Phantom Films, and two talent management companies even as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the department was targeting those who spoke up for farmers — a reference to the three-month long farm protest that is still ongoing.

Without taking any names, but referring to the now dissolved Phantom, Kashyap’s production house, Surabhi Ahluwalia, Commissioner of Income Tax and official spokesperson for the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), said in a statement that “company officials have not been able to explain discrepancy of around ₹300 crore. Also, evidence related to manipulation and undervaluation of share transactions of the production house among the film directors and shareholders, having tax implication of about ₹350 crore has been found...”

The statement added that evidence of cash receipts by the actress amounting to ₹5crore has also been recovered. It also said “non-genuine/bogus exp-enditure to related concerns by the leading producer/director having tax implication of about ₹20 crore has been detected. Similar findings have been made in the case of the leading actress also.”

The raids began on Wednesday at several locations in Mumbai and Pune. Kashyap and Pannu were also questioned. On Wednesday, state minister Nawab Malik said the raids were an attempt to muzzle those who speak out against the Narendra Modi government.

“At the office premises of the two talent management companies , huge amount of digital data has been seized in the form of emails, Whatsapp chats, hard disk etc. All these are being scrutinised as investigation continues,” the statement said.

The two talent management firms referred to are Kwan and Exceed.

Kashyap, Pannu and the two firms were not available for an immediate response.

PARTY LEADERS INSIST THAT THE CONGRESS WILL CONTEST AROUND 90 SEATS AND THERE WILL BE NO UNDERSTANDING WITH ABBAS SIDDIQUI IN THESE CONSTITUENCIES

NEW DELHI: The Congress in West Bengal is keen to calibrate its campaign to avoid any proximity with the Indian Secular Front, the party of cleric Abbas Siddiqui, and one of the members of the larger grouping of which it is a part.

Instead, the party is keen to emphasize that it has no truck with ISF and that the latter is just a partner of the Left bloc, Congress leaders said.

The Congress and the Left Front have, for the first time, forged a seat-sharing agreement for the West Bengal assembly election that starts from March

27. But the inclusion of the ISF in the grouping, albeit in a seatadjustment with the Left, has embarrassed the Congress and prompted it to revise its strategy. The party has already come in for some friendly fire for allying with the ISF.

Party leaders insist that Congress will contest around 90 seats and there will be no understanding with Siddiqui in these constituencies. “The Congress’s demand for seats in West Bengal has been fulfilled. A large front, a secular front has been created with the Left,” said senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi.

According to two Congress leaders who did not wish to be named, while a section of the state Congress was open to an understanding with Siddiqui, state unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was not. At a mega Left rally in Kolkata on February

28. Chowdhury and Siddiqui didn’t even exchange pleasantries and the Congress leader’s speech was interrupted when Siddiqui took the stage.

Chowdhury is a five-term MP from the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district. His supporters say there is no reason why the Congress should make space for another party in its traditional bastions. Chowdhury chose to stay away from the last seat-adjustment meeting between the allies on Monday, even though he was in Kolkata.

In strategy meetings in Delhi as well as in Kolkata, Congress leaders have spoken about focusing the campaign on issues such as joblessness and the state of the economy rather than on personalities. The party isn’t comfortable with the religious pitch of the ISF. “There will be no joint campaign with ISF. Neither will we seek votes for them, nor will they be asked to support us,” said a senior Congress leader.

Some Congress leaders are also upset with senior Congress leader Anand Sharma’s tweets such as the one that said the “Congress’ alliance with parties like ISF and other such forces militates against the core ideology of the party”. They believe these were ill-timed and damaged the party. “He didn’t know the basic facts. We have no alliance with ISF,” added the Congress leader cited above.

Analysts say the nuance the Congress wants to convey — it is part of the grouping that includes the ISF, but it no truck with the party — may be lost on voters.