Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal has shot back at rival Congress, blaming the party for forcing the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Association to write a letter that contradicted Kejriwal's claim to have served as an Income Tax Commissioner.
"Has the IRS written this letter or Chidambaram saab has made them write it? He is the Finance Minister plus the IRS association admires me. And the fact that they would write such a letter? I don't think so. So I think the Congress has made them write down such a letter," the AAP chief ministerial candidate told ANI.
The IRS Association had sent a two-page letter to Kejriwal, expressing displeasure over his remarks that he had decided to serve in the public domain, over being an IT Commissioner and 'earn crores'.
"Contrary to your claims, you have never worked as Commissioner and your batch has still not been promoted to (the rank of) Commissioners of Income Tax," the letter said, as reported by PTI.
The letter accused Kejriwal of 'unnecessarily damaging the image of the fine service' by uttering such statements.
"I was shocked to see that letter. Firstly, I served as the secretary of the IRS Association, which is a national body, when I was working in the income tax department. And I am sure as much desire as I have to take the IRS forward, they too feel the same," Kejriwal said on Saturday.
He added, "I have contributed a lot to the IRS, me and Arvind Modi ji took pains to provide facilities to this department while restructuring the cadre."
The letter by the IRS Association quoted Kejriwal's statement that had particularly hurt the department, "As Commissioner, I could have made crores and travelled in a car fitted with a beacon light. But I left the service and decided to serve the nation."
"The association wishes to remind you that no department or organisation is corrupt or honest, it is the individuals who may be so," the letter had stated.
"The Income Tax department does not become corrupt-free by their (IRS Association) saying so. And the day people of this nation declare that IRS is an honest department, I'll agree. You can ask the people," Kejriwal reacted to the statement.
Check out below Arvind Kejriwal latest interview on the IRS letter row:
