Breaking his silence after 10 days on the record Rs 350 crore in cash seized from premises linked to him, Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu on Friday said that his family handles the business and the money recovered is not directly his, but belongs to the companies which were raided. He also emphasised that the money is not linked in any way to the Congress or any other political party.
The Income Tax searches against a firm, Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd, and associated entities owned by Mr Sahu's family began on December 6 and ended on Friday. Carried out in Odisha and Jharkhand, the searches yielded cash worth Rs 353.5 crore, marking the largest single seizure ever made by any investigative agency in India.
The record recovery, long search and videos of almirahs full of cash have been used by the BJP to slam the Congress and accuse it of corruption. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the party using a reference to the popular TV series 'Money Heist'.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Mr Sahu said he has been in active politics for nearly 35 years and this is the first time such an allegation has been levelled at him. "I am hurt, and I can say with conviction that the money that has been recovered is my firm's. We have been in the liquor business for over 100 years. I am involved in politics and did not pay much attention to the business. That was looked after by my family, and I would just ask how things were from time to time," he said in Hindi.
The Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand said his is a big, joint family and six brothers, including him, are involved in the business. Their children also look after various aspects of the companies.
"The money that has been recovered is related to our firms involved in the liquor business. Our business is transparent. The money is from the sale of alcohol and it is in cash because sales in the liquor business happen in cash. The cash was from sales collections and has nothing to do with the Congress or any other party. It is the money of my companies," he said.
"Some of the firms belong to my relatives and no money has been recovered from the premises of Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd, where some of the liquor is made. The money is not mine, it is my family's as well as of related companies. My family members will give clarifications, if needed, to the Income Tax department. We will cooperate with the authorities," Mr Sahu added.
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