Over the past four days, Income Tax authorities have found more than Rs 300 crore in cash from premises belonging to Sahu, who has been a Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha for the last 14 years. It’s the “highest-ever” cash seizure by an agency in a single operation in the country, officials said.
Here's what you need to know about the incident and the politician in 10 points:
1.) The 64-year-old Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand is also a baron but he does not do business in the state due to his claims of Jharkhand's “unethical business practices,” Indian Express reported.
2.) Dhiraj Sahu has maintained silence for the last four days, especially after his affidavit to Parliament had only declared cash worth Rs 27 lakh in his family’s possession and a bank balance of about Rs 8.59 crore.
3.) Congress sources in Jharkhand told News18 that the Sahu Group runs several businesses and that he would explain the cash recovery to the authorities as per the course of the law.
4.) Dhiraj Sahu started his political innings with the Congress in 1977, as a member of National Students Union of India from 1978 to 1983.
5.) He climbed the party ladder, first as an office-bearer in the Lohardaga district and later with the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee, Indian Express reported.
6.) Dhiraj Sahu was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in a 2009 bypoll, and re-elected for his second term in 2010. He became a Rajya Sabha member for the third time in May 2018.
7.) He has also been associated with various parliamentary committees and continues to be a member of the Consultative Committee on Power and New and Renewable Energy, and a member of the Committee on Coal, Mines, and Steel.
8.) He claims his father industrialist and social worker Rai Sahab Baldeo Sahu, was involved in the freedom struggle.
9.) His website stated, "Dhiraj Prasad Sahu has a vision of creating a prosperous and inclusive society, where all citizens have equal opportunities to succeed." He also has a mission to promote sustainable economic growth, improve access to education and healthcare, and preserve and promote the state’s cultural heritage, the website added.
10.) Meanwhile, Union Minister Amit Shah said he was "very surprised" at the revelation and hit out at Congress and other opposition parties for being silent about the incident.
"I am very surprised. After independence, such a large amount of cash has been seized from an MP's house. Crores of rupees have been recovered but the whole INDI alliance is silent on this corruption," Shah said. "I understand Congress is silent as corruption is in their nature but JDU, RJD, DMK, and SP all are sitting silently..."
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