With reference to the editorial Don't revive inspector raj (Business Standard, November 24), there can’t be two views that doling out of the ‘discretionary’ powers to the tax officials is fraught with the risk of them being misused. The manner in which the centre is currently threatening the citizens through search and seizures, income-tax notices and even invocation of the legal provisions of sever-year imprisonment in times to come, there are genuine apprehensions among common men as to what lies ahead. One also fails to comprehend why the government is maintaining a stoic silence on the issue of proactively acting against the concealed political funding by various political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
There are enough reasons to believe that should an inspector rajre-enter, witch hunting of innocent people and even honest tax payers can't be ruled out. Are all these “depositors” other than our honourable ministers, MPs and MLAs tax evaders?
Are we headed for yet another Emergency? During the infamous 1975-77 Emergency, the nation had helplessly witnessed the unprecedented misuse of official powers at the behest of the then all-powerful Congress government. Since the Modi-led BJP government also enjoys an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha, a similar thing cannot perhaps be ruled out post-December 30. Why isn’t the government talking about monitoring of the deposits made or to be made by these inspectors also?
Vinayak G Bengaluru
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
More From This Section
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201 · E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number