The Income Tax department has seized ‘unaccounted’ cash amounting to over ₹200 crore in multiple raids across Odisha and Jharkhand reportedly linked to Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Sahu.
The I-T raids, which began on Wednesday (December 6), are being carried out against an Odisha-based distillery group and entities linked to it.
The seizure of cash is expected to reach ₹290 crore, making it the ‘highest-ever’ black money haul by any agency in a single operation, PTI quoted official sources as saying.
The central agency has deployed three dozen counting machines. Counting of the seized cash is progressing at a slow pace as the machines are of a limited capacity, the PTI report added quoting sources.
The Congress leader is yet to comment on the raids.
Who is Dhiraj Prasad Sahu?
A Congress Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand since 2010, Dhiraj Sahu is reportedly linked to Baldev Sahu Infra Pvt Ltd, a group company of Boudh Distilleries, which is currently under the radar of the Income Tax Department.
Dhiraj Sahu's family has been associated with the grand old party for a long time. His brother, Shiv Prasad Sahu, won the general elections twice from the Ranchi seat on a Congress ticket.
In his 2018 Rajya Sabha election affidavit, Dhiraj Sahu had reportedly declared assets worth over ₹34 crore. Sahu joined politics in 1977.
The latest IT raids on company premises linked to the Congress MP also turned into a political tussle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress in a post on X and tagged a news report about the I-T Department recovering ₹290 crore in cash from various locations to Sahu.
“Countrymen should look at these piles of currency notes and then hear the addresses of its (Congress) leaders on honesty. Every penny looted from people will have to be returned. This is Modi's guarantee,” PM Modi tweeted.
देशवासी इन नोटों के ढेर को देखें और फिर इनके नेताओं के ईमानदारी के 'भाषणों' को सुनें... 😂😂😂
जनता से जो लूटा है, उसकी पाई-पाई लौटानी पड़ेगी, यह मोदी की गारंटी है।❌❌❌💵 💵 💵❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/O2pEA4QTOj— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2023
Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that the biggest reason the Opposition opposes demonisation is their involvement in corrupt practices.
He said, "Wherever there is Congress, there is corruption that is why Congress keeps raising questions on ED and CBI".
Union Minister Smriti Irani said the Congress leadership will have to address the issue and added, “Mohabbat ki dukaan par corruption ka karobaar chal raha hai."
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