New Delhi, In a startling announcement, the Indian National Congress claimed that all its bank accounts have been frozen, dealing a significant blow to the party’s operations weeks before the general elections.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Congress treasurer Ajay Maken revealed in a press conference that the party’s financial institutions are declining all cheque transactions. “All the accounts of the country’s main opposition party, including those of the Indian Youth Congress, have been frozen by the IT department,” Maken stated, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Maken criticized the action as a dire threat to democratic practices in India, comparing it to autocratic rule and stating that it essentially paralyzes the opposition. He appealed to the judiciary for urgent intervention to safeguard democracy, emphasizing the immediate financial hardships faced by the party, including the inability to pay for basic operational expenses.

In response to these developments, Maken announced plans for the Congress to launch a series of protests and public agitations against what he described as an unprecedented and undemocratic attack on the party’s financial capabilities.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed Maken’s sentiments, condemning the account freezes as a “deep assault on India’s democracy” in a statement on the social media platform X. He accused the current government of misusing its power to undermine the Congress party just before the national elections.

Rahul Gandhi, a leading figure within the Congress party, directly attributed the actions of the IT department to the Narendra Modi government. In a defiant message on X, Gandhi asserted that the Congress’s strength comes from its people rather than its finances, vowing that the party would never succumb to dictatorial pressures and would continue to fight for democratic principles in India.