The Indian Youth Congress on Friday staged a protest against the Centre over freezing of bank accounts of the Indian National Congress and its youth wing, alleging the move was "political vendetta." Scores of youth Congress leaders and workers gathered on central Delhi's Rajendra Prasad road with banners and raised slogans against the BJP-led Centre.

Security was beefed up around the area and barricades were deployed.

Srinivas BV, National President of Indian Youth Congress, alleged that the party's accounts were sealed "just before the elections on purpose" in "an attempt to bring one-party system." The Congress' main bank accounts were frozen on Friday by the Income Tax department over a tax due of Rs 210 crore.

An I-T appellate tribunal later de-freezed the account and allowed the party to operate them pending a further hearing next week, a huge relief for Congress which said the move had impacted all its political activity.

"The move to freeze our bank accounts is nothing but a political vendetta. Our bank accounts have been sealed just before the elections on purpose and the timing os the move is questionable," Srinivas alleged.

"This is nothing but an attempt to bring one-party system in the country," he added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.