On Thursday, the Income Tax Department said it found discrepancy and manipulation of income during their raids at various places linked to controversial filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, actor Taapsee Pannu and their other business associates.
The IT officials have also found that the filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had suppressed his erstwhile company’s income – Phantom films, compared to the actual collections. The IT officials said there was a discrepancy in the income to the tune of around Rs 600 crore.
It is notable here that the I-T raids have been going on not just against Kashyap and Pannu but filmmakers Vikas Behl, Madhu Mantena, and several others. As per the reports, properties linked to Shibhashish Sarkar (CEO of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Entertainment), Afsar Zaidi (CEO Exceed) and Vijay Subramaniam (CEO Kwan talent management agency) were also searched by the IT department.
Following the raids on multiple locations, the IT officials have reportedly found evidence of manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions of Phantom Films, having tax implication running to over 350 crores.
The IT sleuths had also found evidence of cash receipts by the actress, presumably Taapsee Pannu, to the tune of Rs 5 crores. Her company is also suspected to be involved in income tax evasion. Taapsee’s endorsement deals and film signing amounts are under the IT scanner.
As IT officials carried out their usual raids on the tax fraud suspects, the left-liberals and the media establishment descended on the social media platforms to cry foul over the same. Attacking the centre, the liberals described the searches as an attempt to suppress the voices of those who speak against the Narendra Modi-led government.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Actor Taapsee Pannu Face Income Tax Raids. BJP’S A team at work to harass, intimidate & silence those who don’t fall in line. India has never seen such malafide use of IT dept, ED, NIA, police etc https://t.co/d72RHz7R1h
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) March 3, 2021
At some point this strategy will stop working.
— vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) March 3, 2021
People will not be scared. They will still speak the truth.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Actor Taapsee Pannu Face Income Tax Raids https://t.co/u6lJyzeHys
According to the liberals, the raids against controversial actress Taapsee Pannu, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and other business associates were nothing but a vendetta for raising issues against the Modi government. It is pertinent to note that both Pannu and Anurag Kashyap have a history of peddling half-truths and misleading information on social media about several issues ranging from CAA to the farm laws.
Anurag Kashyap’s accounts were sealed in 2013 over service tax evasion
In contrast to the claims of liberals that the raids against Anurag Kashyap and others are the Modi government’s way of targeting its critics, details have emerged to prove that the filmmaker has been accused of evading tax much before the Modi government assumed power. Anurag Kashyap, who is in the soup for not declaring his income and allegedly indulging in tax fraud, was also accused of tax evasion under the previous UPA government in 2013.
Ironically, the Congress party, which is now calling the I-T raids a government ‘vendetta’, had itself charged Anurag Kashyap for evading service tax in 2013 while in power. The controversial filmmaker had landed in trouble with the Service Tax Department during the Congress-led UPA government. The Service Tax department had then charged him guilty for evasion of tax worth Rs. 55 lakh.
The accounts of Anurag Kashyap were also sealed as he had failed to appear before the officials despite several summons.
Interestingly, there was no hue and cry by the same set of ‘liberals’ back in 2013, when the UPA government had accused him of evading taxes.
Social media users point out the hypocrisy of liberals, calls Anurag Kashyap a ‘habitual tax offender’
The netizens were quick to spot the irony of the Congress party and its media ecosystem, who were making huge outcry on social media, blaming the BJP for the I-T raids. The social media users reminded them of the history of tax evasion cases against Anurag Kashyap and asked was it a vendetta too?
Ankur Singh, a popular Twitter user joked that the Modi government had probably foresaw that they would come to power in future and Anurag Kashyap will speak against them. So they probably started ‘harassing’ him from 2013 itself.
BJP knew Anurag Kashyap will speak against Modi in 2021, so started harassing him from 2013 itself. https://t.co/hLhkYpbGqG
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) March 4, 2021
Another user also pointed how the tax fraud cases were initiated against him under the UPA government in 2013.
“Director Anurag Kashyap’s bank accounts have been sealed following legal issues with the service tax department.”
— Right to equality (@rayonkiran1) March 5, 2021
Ohhhh #Modi government is doing vendetta who raise voice against it.
Ohhh Sorry, It’s tweet from 2013 when UPA was in power.@ARanganathan72@_sabanaqvi pic.twitter.com/MGma3QiruA
Shubhashish said that PM Modi controlled the Congress party in 2013 and used the time machine to know that Anurag Kashyap would speak against the government and registered cases of tax evasion against him.
Modi ji controlled congress in 2013 and used to time machine to know that anurag kashyap would speak against govt in future that’s why https://t.co/IOEpPwkQS8
— Shubhashish (@wannadodmt) March 4, 2021
Attacking the liberals for playing sympathy card in favour of Anurag Kashyap, Veeru, a social media user pointed that Anurag Kashyap was a ‘Tax Chor’ since 2013.
Anurag kashyap is Tax Chor since 2013 but radical Liberals are playing symphaty game to protect these tax fruad people.. https://t.co/Inmk2SCKGG
— ವೀರು (@Veerugk99) March 4, 2021
Rahul Kumar also asserted that Anurag Kashyap was a ‘habitual offender in tax evasion cases and noted that under the UPA government his accounts were sealed in 2013. He also questioned the liberals for remaining silent then, only to cry vendetta now.
So #TaxChor Anurag Kashyap is a habitual offender!! His bank accounts had been sealed even in 2013 by the Congress govt. Did anyone cry vendetta back then?? #TaxChor pic.twitter.com/3Zn9eifmR3
— 𝐑𝐚𝐡𝐮𝐥 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫 (@Rahulk123d) March 4, 2021
The so-called ‘liberals’ have nothing to say about the 2013 raids. Also, they are not even clarifying that if Anurag Kashyap and Tapsee Pannu are facing the consequences for being the vocal critics of the present government, why are the other office-bearers of phantom films and their business associates are being raided along with.
