Dhiraj Sahu I-T raids: 'Rahul Gandhi will have to answer', says BJP chief Nadda; cash counting machines break down

Dhiraj Sahu, a Rajya Sabha MP of the Congress from Jharkhand, is under fire after the Income Tax department conducted raids on properties linked to him and recovered over Rs 200 crore in unaccounted cash. JP Nadda, national president of the BJP, hit out at the Congress party and demanded clarifications from its leaders, including Rahul Gandhi.

New Delhi/Balangir:With Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand Dhiraj Sahu facing the heat after the Income Tax Department raided properties linked to him in Jharkhand and Odisha and recovered over Rs 200 crore unaccounted cash, BJP national president JP Nadda slammed the Opposition party and sought answers from its leaders including Rahul Gandhi.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Nadda echoed what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday in his attack on the Congress leadership. He wrote, “Brother, both you and your leader Rahul Gandhi will have to answer. This is new India, here people will not be allowed to be exploited in the name of the royal family. You will get tired running, but the law will not leave you. If Congress is the guarantee of corruption then Modi ji is the guarantee of action against corruption. Every penny looted from the public will have to be returned.”

Last Friday, PM Modi took to social media to highlight these raids, and said, “every penny of "the money looted from public will be returned… this is Modi’s guarantee.”

The Congress, on the other hand, distancing itself from the business of Sahu, said that only the MP can explain the reasons behind such huge amounts of cash that have been seized. "The Indian National Congress is in no way connected with the businesses of Dheeraj Sahu, MP. Only he can explain, and should explain, how huge amounts of cash have been reportedly unearthed by the income-tax authorities from his properties," Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh posted on X.

A huge pile of cash was recovered in the searches conducted by the Income Tax department against Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Private Limited and entities linked to it. Premises linked to Sahu were also covered as part of the searches, according to officials. The seizure amount is expected to reach Rs 290 crore, making it the "highest-ever" black money haul by any agency in a single operation, they added.

Meanwhile, the counting of cash seized from the distillery unit at Sudpada in Odisha's Balangir district continued on the fifth day even as several counting machines broke down due to the heavy workload, said sources on Sunday.

Some mechanics were reportedly present at the bank to immediately repair the counting machines. Officials of SBI informed the media persons that the counting of notes has ended in the Sambalpur and Titilagarh branches. The official sources said that Rs 11 crore has been seized from Titilagarh while the amount seized in Sambalpur stood at Rs 37.50 crore.

Sources claimed that around 60 staffers and several machines have been engaged at the SBI branch at Balangir for the counting of the cash brought to the branch in 176 bags. The officials reportedly finished counting cash stashed in 102 bags amounting to around Rs 140 crore till Saturday night. Unconfirmed sources claimed that the counting of cash kept in another 40 odd bags has been completed till Sunday afternoon increasing the seizure amount to around Rs 180 crore. The counting is expected to be finished by Sunday evening.

The Income Tax officials launched simultaneous raids at different places related to Boudh Distillery Private Limited and other liquor businessmen linked to the firm in Balangir, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Kolkata in West Bengal and Bokaro in Jharkhand last Wednesday. The sleuths stumbled upon huge cash stashed in two almirahs at the Sudpada distillery unit in Bolangir district.