What appears to be a bank filled with cash, is actually a almirah of the Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Prasad Sahu. In a raid by the the Income Tax Department at his premises in Odisha on Wednesday, December 6th, around Rs 300 crore has been discovered in cash, and the counting process has been going on for 4 days now. On Friday, a shocking video and photos of these stacks of notes went viral revealing that the counting machines fell short in number to tally the huge amount of money uncovered in the raid.
So, who is this Dheeraj Sahu? Dheeraj Sahu, a two-time elected Rajya Sabha member representing the Congress party, a prominent businessman and an industrialist comes from a political family in Jharkhand. Sahu's profile takes on a complex dimension in light of these recent developments.
After the raid conducted against an Odisha-based liquor firm which had links with the congress member Dheeraj Sahu, the Income Tax department raided nearly 3 more premises associated with him in Ranchi, Lohardaga and West Bengal. On Wednesday, the team raided houses, offices and distillery of his relatives and people connected to him at Sargipali in Sundargarh city at the same time also searching corporate office of BDPT (Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd) in Bhubaneshwar and many more offices.
When it comes to disclosed wealth, Dheeraj Prasad Sahu, in the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission for the 2018 Rajya Sabha elections, stated his assets at 34 crores. Simultaneously, he acknowledged a debt of Rs 2.36 crore. Whereas, In his income tax return for the financial year 2016-17, he reported an income exceeding Rs 1 crore.
According to PTI reports, MP Dheeraj Sahu is reported to have left, with his phone switched off, and employees at his Ranchi office have stated that the MP is currently unavailable. No arrests have been made in connection with the matter as of now.
The Union ministers of the opposition targeted Congress after PM Narendra Modi posted a tweet, citing a report of the IT raid saying that every penny looted from the general public will have to be returned. This is Modi’s guarantee. During a press conference, the Odisha BJP unit called for the involvement of the CBI in the issue and requested clarification from the ruling party in Odisha. The BJP spokesperson asserted that such a huge tax evasion scandal could only occur with the assistance of local politicians and the state government. In response, BJD MLA Satyanarayan Pradhan refuted the allegation, defending Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik.
The income tax department in Odisha has recovered more than 200 crore rupees in cash from the congress MP Dheeraj Prasad Sahu, marking what Sarat Chandra Dash, Former IT Commissioner suggests could be the largest cash seizure in the state so far.
