At least Rs 290 crore was seized in hard cash from premises linked to Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu (File)
BJP chief JP Nadda joined his party colleagues today in criticising the Congress and its Jharkhand MP Dheeraj Sahu, at the centre of one of India's biggest cash seizures. At least Rs 290 crore was seized in hard 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.
In a post on X, directed at the Congress MP, his party, and Rahul Gandhi, JP Nadda wrote: "Friend, 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 be tired of 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," he warned in his sharply worded post.
The Income Tax raids on the premises of Boudh Distilleries Private Limited entered its fifth day today. More cash counting machines were brought in to 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 cash recovered in what is touted as one of India's highest cash hauls, the Congress on Saturday distanced itself from Mr Sahu and said that it is not connected with the businesses in any way and that the MP should explain the cash and its source.
On X, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said: "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."
The BJP launched an all-out attack on the Congress over the recovery, with Union Minister Smriti Irani questioning the party and saying that the Gandhi family must reveal the name of the leader for whom the Rajya Sabha MP was working as an "ATM".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a swipe at the Congress and 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."
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 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.