Dheeraj Sahu is at the centre of a massive cash haul upwards of Rs 350 crore
A seemingly harmless 2022 post on X about rampant corruption and the extensive circulation of black money is being shared widely on social media and is now viral. In an ironic twist, the post was written by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu - at the centre of a massive cash haul of upwards of Rs 353 crore - last year.
Mr Sahu's post from August 12, 2022, read: "Even after demonetization, my heart is saddened to see so much black money and corruption in the country. I don't understand from where people are accumulating so much black money. If anyone can root out corruption from this country, it is only the Congress."
Sharing a screenshot of the post, BJP's IT Cell chief Amit Malviya wrote Mr Sahu has a "dark sense of humour" with the hashtag "corruption ki dukaan".
At least Rs 351 crore was seized in cash during raids on the offices of an Odisha-based distillery and entities linked to it in the state, Jharkhand, and Bengal. The distillery is linked to Dheeraj Sahu, officials said.
The Income Tax raids on the premises of Boudh Distilleries Private Limited entered its fifth day today. More cash counting machines were brought into the premises of Boudh Distilleries linked to Dheeraj Sahu today. Earlier, officials had swooped in on the MP's residences in Jharkhand.
Facing massive flak over the whopping amounts of hard cash recovered in what is touted as one of India's biggest cash hauls, the Congress on Saturday distanced itself from its MP and said that it is not connected with the businesses in any way and that the MP should explain the cash and its source.
The BJP launched an all-out attack on the Congress over the recovery, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the party's charge against the Congress. On X, the PM wrote: "The people of the country should look at these piles of currency notes and then listen to the honest 'speeches' of their leaders... Whatever has been looted from the public, every penny will have to be returned. This is Modi's guarantee."
Union Minister Smriti Irani questioned the Congress and said that the Gandhi family must reveal the name of the leader for whom the Rajya Sabha MP was working as an "ATM".
The BJP's Odisha unit has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and sought clarification from the ruling BJD. Party spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra showed photos of a woman minister from the state sharing the stage with one of the liquor traders covered in the raids.
This tax evasion could not have been possible without the active support and patronage of local leaders and the state government, he said.