Evening briefing: Congress' claim on I-T dept withdrawing ₹65 crore; India, Greece agree to bolster ties, and more

Congress treasurer Ajay Maken on Wednesday said the income tax department has undemocratically withdrawn ₹65 crore from the party's accounts with different banks while the issue of Congress paying income tax is sub judice. "Is it common for National Political Parties to pay Income Tax? No. Does the BJP pay Income Tax? No. Why then is the Congress Party facing an unprecedented demand of ₹210 crores? During today’s ITAT proceedings, we presented our case. The hearing is set to continue tomorrow. The funds in question were raised through grassroots efforts, including crowdfunding and membership drives by the IYC and NSUI. This situation raises a crucial question about the state of democracy. Is it under threat?" Ajay Maken wrote on Twitter sharing details of how much amount has been withdrawn by the income tax from New Delhi's Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, and Punjab National Bank. Dig deeper

India and Greece on Wednesday agreed to bolster cooperation in areas ranging from defence manufacturing and trade to connectivity and to speedily finalise a migration and mobility pact as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his visiting Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis is the first Greek premier to travel to India in 16 years, and his trip is a follow-up to Modi’s visit to Athens last August, the first by an Indian premier in four decades. At the time, the two sides upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership and Wednesday’s discussions provided the two leaders an opportunity to assess the progress made since then. Dig deeper

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Sports Goings

Workload management. That’s become the latest catchphrase in modern-day cricket, a phrase that draws a flinch and a frown from many of the legends of the game who can’t come to grips with how players are ‘rested’ during an important series. It’s with the management of his workload in mind that series-leading India have released pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the fourth Test against England, beginning in Ranchi on Friday. In a series expected to be dominated by the spinners, the vice-captain has been the most potent bowling force. Alongside rookie England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, Bumrah leads the wicket-takers’ charts with 16 scalps. But where Hartley averages 33.18 and has taken a wicket every 59.7 deliveries, Bumrah’s corresponding figures are 13.64 and 28.5 respectively. Simply wow. Dig deeper

That’s all we have at this hour in our evening briefing. Catch you tomorrow morning.