Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said that the party has no affiliation with the business activities of Dheeraj Sahu, the Member of Parliament in whose premises the Income Tax Department has seized nearly Rs 300 crore of unaccounted cash.
"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," Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
The IT raids on Dheraj Sahu
The Income Tax Department conducted raids at various locations associated with Dheeraj Sahu in Odisha and Jharkhand, leading to the recovery of cash. The operations, initiated on Wednesday (December 6), targeted Sahu's premises in the neighboring states.
According to officials from the Income Tax Department, the seized cash is anticipated to amount to Rs 300 crore. A report by news agency PTI suggests that this cash seizure during the raids is poised to become the "highest-ever" black money confiscation in a single operation by any agency.
Sources have indicated that a majority of the recovered cash is traced back to premises associated with Boudh Distillery Private Limited in Odisha.
The ongoing process of counting the substantial cash amount is being expedited by the Income Tax officials, who have deployed around 40 large and small machines. Additionally, more department and bank staff members have been mobilized to facilitate the process. The department has also secured additional vehicles for the transportation of the seized cash to government banks in the state.
