Odisha: Rs. 100 crore recovered from almirahs of Congress MP
The Income Tax Department, on Friday, seized over Rs. 100 crore in cash from locations connected to Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu in Odisha. The raids—which started on Wednesday—stretched across Jharkhand and Odisha. Searches will reportedly continue on the premises of Boudh Distillery Private Limited (BDPL), from where the cash was recovered. Income Tax Director General Sanjay Bahadur said that authorities are investigating possible links to the confiscated cash, including potential political connections.
Why does this story matter?
Since Wednesday, the IT department has seized more than Rs. 300 crore in the raids conducted on suspicion of tax evasion. The authorities have conducted searches at more than half a dozen companies, including S Shiw Ganga and Company, BDPL, and Ranisati Paddy Processing Private Limited. It is pertinent to note that Dheeraj Sahu's BDPL and his extended family are reportedly engaged in a substantial alcohol manufacturing business.
Raids conducted at multiple locations, BJP demands ED probe
The IT department has raided several locations, such as Sambalpur, Bolangir, Titilagarh, Boudh, Sundargarh, Rourkela, and Bhubaneswar. Over 30 officers and bank staff used eight counting machines to tally the seized money. Per India Today, three separate cash-counting machines have been ordered. In light of these events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the matter. The saffron party in Odisha has alleged that other Congress MPs might be involved in similar cases.
Cash discovered from almirahs
The cash was discovered hidden in almirahs, prompting the tax department to expand their searches to various locations. The other locations targeted were Sahu's residence and office, a country liquor distillery in Sundargarh city, BDPL's corporate office in Bhubaneswar, houses of company officials, a factory and office in Boudh Ramchikata, and the Ranisati Rice Mill. At least 150 packets of cash have been taken to the State Bank of India (SBI) in Balangir, Odisha.
PM Modi slams Congress over cash recovery
Sharing a newspaper clipping that revealed details of the raid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted Sahu and the Congress party for corruption. In a post on X, he said, "The countrymen should look at the pile of these notes and then listen to the honest 'speeches' of their leaders." The PM further added that whatever has been stolen from the public during the Congress rule, every penny of it will have to be returned.
