Days after the income tax department raided liquor firms in Odisha related to Jharkhand Congress MP and seized over Rs.350 crore cash in different towns of Odisha and Jharkhand, Dheeraj Sahu on Friday said that the money recovered by the I-T officials “does not belong to the party” but it is his family’s wealth.
The money was not meant for any political considerations. The money is not all mine but belongs to the entire family and firms of our group and was meant for outstanding payments in the business, Sahu said.
In the biggest cash haul in the country in a single operation, ₹353 crore was recovered from the premises of Boudh Distillery Private Limited, in Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal – all linked to Dhiraj Sahu’s liquor firm and the MP’s house.
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The I-T raids which began on December 6, came to a close in the early hours on Friday.
“I have been in active politics for the last 30-35 years. The money that was seized was not meant for the Congress or other political parties, but proceeds of the sale of liquor,” Sahu said.
{{/usCountry}}“I have been in active politics for the last 30-35 years. The money that was seized was not meant for the Congress or other political parties, but proceeds of the sale of liquor,” Sahu said.
{{/usCountry}}The liquor business mostly runs in cash and the money was kept for payment for Mahua flowers as well as the government, Sahu explained.
“The money is not all mine but belongs to the entire family and firms of our group. All our business is transparent. In the last 100 years, we have given a lot of revenue to the government. I will give account for everything to income tax,” Sahu said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came down heavily upon Congress alleging that it was people’s money that was looted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media site X: “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.”
In response to the PM’s jibe, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the nation wants the PM to explain the “biggest money heist since 1947”.
Union home minister Amit Shah said while Congress’s silence was understandable on the matter, it was surprising why the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance alliance partners were silent on it. “I understand the Congress because this is in their nature, but the Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Samajwadi Party are all quiet too,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP legislators in Jharkhand staged a protest outside the state assembly on the first day of the winter session on Friday, seeking action against Sahu.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, the Opposition legislators demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the cash seizure and the arrest of Sahu.