I-T notice to Munde on poll expenditure remark

In more trouble for senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde, facing an Election Commission's show cause notice for his poll spending remark, the Income Tax department has issued a notice seeking his explanation within a week.

"We have served a notice to Munde", confirmed an IT official on Wednesday.

He said that the department has sought explanation from Munde on his claims that he had spent Rs 8 crore towards campaigning for Lok Sabha election he had contested from Beed constituency in 2009.

Munde had made the remark at a book release function, also attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, held in Mumbai on June 27.

Taking cognisance of Munde's claims, the Election Commission had slapped a show-cause notice on the BJP's deputy leader in Lok Sabha.

"I spent Rs 29,000 when I contested my first assembly poll in 1980 but spent Rs 8 crore in my last (2009 Lok Sabha) election", Munde had said.

While Munde, who is out of Mumbai, was unavailable for comment, sources close to him alleged that Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar had hatched a conspiracy to malign Munde's image.

"This is a conspiracy hatched by the Pawars. NCP wants to target Munde as he is a mass leader and the party perceives him as a threat.

"Asking Munde's nephew Dhananjay to quit as BJP MLC yesterday is part of the process," the source claimed.