Odisha I-T raids: Rs 200 crore in cash recovered as counting on
Bhubaneswar, Dec 8: "Unaccounted" cash amounting to around Rs 250 crore is expected to be recovered through searches being conducted by the income-tax department against a Odisha-based distillery group and entities linked to it, official sources said on Friday.
The raids launched against Boudh Distillery Private Limited on Wednesday are still continuing and cash amounting to more than Rs 200 crore has so far been recovered. The total recovery could be around Rs 250 crore, the sources said.
Three dozen counting machines have been deployed by the tax department. Since the machines are of a limited capacity, the counting is progressing at a slow pace, the sources added.
Premises linked to the Congress's Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, were also covered during the searches, the sources said.
An e-mail sent by PTI to the distillery group on Thursday elicited no response.
Officials said cash amounting to Rs 200 crore, stashed in almirahs, was recovered from a premises of the distillery group in Balangir district, while the remaining amount was found from other locations, such as Sambalpur and Sundargarh in Odisha, Bokaro and Ranchi in Jharkhand and Kolkata.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tagged a news report about the I-T department recovering Rs 200 crore in cash from various locations of a business group allegedly linked to Sahu, as he attacked the opposition party.
"Countrymen should look at these piles of currency notes and then hear the addresses of its (Congress) leaders on honesty. Every penny looted from people will have to be returned. This is Modi's guarantee," he said in a post with several emojis.
Sahu's staff expressed their inability to get a comment from the MP when PTI called on his phone for a reaction to the I-T department's action.
The sources said the taxman acted on "inputs" of a huge amount of cash being remitted by liquor distributors, sellers and business groups and hence, the raids were launched.
देशवासी इन नोटों के ढेर को देखें और फिर इनके नेताओं के ईमानदारी के 'भाषणों' को सुनें... 😂😂😂
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2023
जनता से जो लूटा है, उसकी पाई-पाई लौटानी पड़ेगी, यह मोदी की गारंटी है।
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BJP takes out torch rally in Ranchi over women's quota bill
Ranchi (PTI): Jharkhand BJP on Tuesday took out a torch rally in Ranchi against the Congress-led opposition alliance for allegedly obstructing the implementation of the women's reservation bill in the Lok Sabha.
Led by the BJP women's wing, the 'Mahila Aakrosh Mashal Yatra' was taken out from Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk.
Jharkhand BJP president Aditya Sahu, who also took part in the procession, said, "By opposing the Women's Reservation Bill, the Congress-led opposition alliance in Lok Sabha has committed an injustice against women in the country. The people will never forgive them."
Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said, "Historic decisions are being taken to empower women under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the opposition is obstructing women's rights due to its narrow politics."
Jharkhand BJP women's wing president Aarti Singh said that the women of Jharkhand have now awakened and are ready to fight to any extent for their honour and rights.
