Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu’s 1st Reaction On Rs 350 Crore Cash Haul, Says ‘Money is Not All Mine…’ – News18

Dhiraj Sahu, the Congress MP from Jharkhand whose premises were searched by the Income Tax Department in what was termed as the country’s ‘highest-ever’ raids, finally broke his silence on Friday and claimed that the money recovered does not belong to him. The Congress leader further clarified that the money seized by the central agency was related to his liquor firms and was not linked with Congress or any other political party.

In his first reaction to the 10-day I-T searches and recovery of over Rs 350 crore in the cash haul, Sahu admitted that the money recovered by the agency was related to his liquor firms and the proceedings from the sale of liquor. He further claimed to give account for everything to the agency as the raids concluded.

Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu Issues Clarification

“What is happening today makes me sad. I can admit that the money that has been recovered belongs to my firm. The cash that has been recovered is related to my liquor firms, it is the proceedings from the sale of liquor,” Sahu was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“This money has nothing to do with Congress or any other political party. The money is not all mine, it belongs to my family and other related firms. I will give account for everything,” he added.

After conducting searches against a firm, Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd in Odisha, and associated entities owned by the Congress legislator and his family, the I-T Department concluded its raids on Friday, December 15. The raids went on for 10 consecutive days and recovered over Rs 350 crore in cash, making it the “highest-ever” cash seizure made by any investigative agency in India.

Political Row Over Odisha Cash Haul

Soon after the name of Congress Rajya Sabha MP surfaced in the Odisha cash haul, the Bharatiya Janata Party launched its sharp criticism on the grand old party and raised corruption allegations. However, the Congress party distanced itself from the raids stating that only Sahu can explain the cash recoveries.

Reacting to the recovery of huge cash, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a jibe at the Congress party and said, “Who needs ‘Money Heist’ fiction in India when we have the Congress Party.”

Sharing a video posted by the BJP showing crores of cash seized during ongoing I-T raids in Odisha, PM Modi on X wrote, “In India, who needs ‘Money Heist’ fiction when you have the Congress Party, whose heists are legendary for 70 years and counting!”

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad wondered how could Sahu not be aware of the Rs 300 crore cash in his house. He called the recovery, the “biggest raid in India’s history”.

Titled as “CONGRESS PRESENTS MONEY HEIST”, the BJP shared a one-minute clip showing stacks of the money recovered by the I-T department officials during the Odisha cash haul linked to Congress leader Dhiraj Sahu. The video also featured Rahul Gandhi dressed as one of the characters from the Netflix drama, getting super excited on seeing the pile of currency notes.