The Income Tax department seized crores of rupees from premises allegedly linked to Congress MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu during a recent raid.
G Kishan Reddy, Siddaramaiah.
Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday sought to know why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was silent on the seizure of crores of rupees from premises allegedly linked to his party MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu during a recent Income Tax raid.
Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Reddy, also the Telangana BJP president expressed doubt that the unaccounted cash that was recovered during the searches might have been meant for use in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday accused the Centre of targeting only the Congress and not the BJP, in the wake of the seizure of unaccounted cash from premises allegedly linked to Dhiraj Sahu.
The Union minister dubbed Sahu a “black money, hero” and said the Jharkhand MP is a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi and allegedly supported and fulfilled all the requirements of the Congress leader’s ‘Bharat Jodo yatra’ last year.
“This is an example of how Congress leaders have looted the country. We demand that the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi give an explanation to the people as to why the party nominated him thrice to the Rajya Sabha,” he said.
A huge pile of cash has been recovered so far in the searches conducted by the Income Tax department against Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Private Limited and entities linked to it.
Premises linked to Sahu were also covered as part of the searches, according to officials.
The amount seized is expected to reach ₹290 crore, making it the “highest-ever” black money haul by any agency in a single operation, official sources said Saturday.
Reddy said Sahu showed ₹34 crore as his assets in his Rajya Sabha elections affidavit in 2018. and wondered how he was able to accumulate so much “black money”.
He remarked that Rahul Gandhi always makes hue and cry whenever there is an income tax raid in the country and wondered why there was no post on social media from the AICC former president on the matter.
“Why is there no reaction from you when the Income Tax department raids the offices of your party MP? Why have you not posted on social media?” he asked and demanded that Rahul Gandhi respond to the people of this country.
Attacking the Karnataka unit of Congress, Kishan Reddy alleged that several business establishments are being closed in the southern state and shifted to other places due to “corrupt practices ” of the state government.
The BJP leader said if elections for the Karnataka Assembly were to be held now, his party would win with a huge majority as people are regretting having elected the Congress government.
He claimed that the people will teach a lesson to the Congress party in the next Lok Sabha polls.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of targeting only the Congress and not the BJP.
“They (the BJP-led Union government) are only targeting the Congress. Let them raid BJP leaders as well. Only then will it be known how much (ill-gotten wealth) they have,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
The chief minister said whoever amasses black money is wrong, according to the Income Tax Act. Let the I-T department take action as per law.
However, Siddaramaiah’s grouse was that the central agencies were selectively targeting the Congress.
“Why their action is aimed at only Congress leaders and not the BJP? Huge money will be found if the BJP people are raided,’ the chief minister said.
(With PTI inputs)
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