Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (December 10) took a potshot at the Opposition’s I.N.D.I.A bloc over its “silence” on the huge amount of cash recovered from the premises allegedly linked to Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu during the I-T department raids against an Odisha-based distillery company, and demanded an answer from its top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi. Shah announced that the BJP would take the issue of corruption by Opposition leaders deep among people and termed the cash recovery in Jharkhand as an “eye-opener”.
The cash seizure in the income-tax department's searches against an Odisha-based distillery company has become the "highest-ever" such haul in a single action conducted by any probe agency in the country and gone past Rs 300 crore, official sources said on Sunday. The Income Tax department conducted raids on the premises of business houses linked to Sahu in Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and recovered huge cash.
Shah attacks I.N.D.I.A bloc
Shah said that Congress is silent on the matter as “corruption is in their nature”, and questioned the silence of other allies in the Opposition bloc.
“I am very surprised. After independence, such a large amount of cash would never have been seized from an MP's house of any party. Crores of rupees have been recovered but the whole INDI alliance is silent on this corruption. I understand Congress is silent as corruption is in their nature but TMC, JDU, RJD, DMK, and SP all are sitting silently…” he said.
“Now I understand why a campaign was run against PM Modi that agencies are being misused. It was run because there was a fear in their mind that all the secrets of their corruption would be revealed,” Shah added.
The Home Minister said that the Opposition has got the taste of their own deeds.
“I believe that the right has happened. It is an eye-opener that such huge corruption was done in such a poor state like Jharkhand. The political propaganda that they do, they have now got an answer from their own deeds,” he said.
“From Rahul Gandhi to all leaders of INDI alliance should answer on the issue. The BJP will take the issue down to every person in the country and will bring awareness. We are fighting against corruption since 2014,” Shah added.
Shah on Bihar caste census
The Home Minister, when asked about the caste census in Bihar, said that the data of certain castes’ data was not reflected appropriately while the data of specific caste and Muslims was “prioritised”.
“The decision to conduct caste-survey was taken when the BJP was a part of the government. We had extended support to the resolution for it. The BJP has extended support to the report that has come after the survey. But there are lots of questions on the survey. Question is being raised time and again that the data of Muslims and some other specific castes has been prioritised and injustice has been done to other small castes,” he said.
“Various delegations of such castes have met the BJP, RJD and JDU. I urge the questions to be addressed,” he added.
The BJP has earlier alleged that the data of some specific castes and Muslims were inflated deliberately.
(With inputs from agencies)
