Cong sees red at Maya’s I-T relief, FM mum
TNN, The Times of India
January 5, 2008

The order of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) that could legitimise UP chief minister Mayawati’s valuable properties including bungalows in Delhi and crores in lockers has drawn flak from diverse quarters, with many expressing apprehension that it could dent the very basis of the Anti-Corruption Act.

As reported by TOI, the ITAT has accepted at face value the BSP chief ’s claim that party supporters had gifted the riches to her out of “love and affection” because they were moved by the “missionary manner” in which she was working for the downtrodden.

While finance minister P Chidambaram refused to comment on the controversial respite granted to Mayawati, his party Congress minced no words in trashing the ITAT’s ruling as “farce”. “We are confronted with the most unusual order of the tribunal,” spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, when reporters asked about his party’s position.