Why Rahul Gandhi silent on Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu's IT seizure? asks Kishan Reddy

The Union Minister dubbed Mr. Sahu as “black money, hero” and said the Jhankhand 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.

Union Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy on December 10 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, Mr. Reddy, also Telangana BJP president, expressed doubt that the unaccounted cash which was recovered during the searches might have been meant for use in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Union Minister dubbed Mr. Sahu as “black money, hero” and said the Jhankhand 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 given 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.

Mr. Reddy said Mr. 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”.