Dhiraj Sahu, the 64-year-old Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, is in the spotlight after the Income Tax department conducted raids and seized Rs 351 crore and around 3 kg of gold ornaments at his premises in Odisha and Jharkhand.
The cash seizure is the highest-ever in a single action by any probe agency in the country after IT sleuths raided Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Private Limited and entities linked to it.
The money pile was so large that over 50 bank employees used 40 machines for five days to count the banknotes seized from factories in Blangir, Titlagarh and Sambalpur.
Dhiraj Sahu’s Political Career
Dheeraj Sahu’s family has been in politics for a long time. His brother, Shiv Prasad Sahu, has been a Lok Sabha MP and won the Ranchi seat twice on a Congress ticket.
Pictures of the over Rs 300 Cr Cash Seized from INC MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu @CNNnews18 https://t.co/lVP20XUzAP pic.twitter.com/b69JqS3OwI— Aman Sharma (@AmanKayamHai_) December 11, 2023
Sahu himself contested twice from the Chatra seat in Jharkhand, but couldn’t win. However, in 2009, he was elected to Rajya Sabha in a by-poll and was re-elected in July 2010. He became a Rajya Sabha member for a third time in May 2018.
Sahu’s Business Interests
Dhiraj Sahu’s family’s influence extends beyond politics. However, the Sahu family’s primary business is centred around the liquor industry, with most of the companies located in Odisha.
Dhiraj Sahu and his family have been involved in other businesses besides liquor, including hotels, real estate, transportation and fisheries.
The Sahu-linked distilleries produce liquor from “mohua” flowers in 22 of the 30 districts of Odisha. Sahu’s son Harshit Sahu is also actively engaged in the wine business in Odisha.
The excise department is focusing on verifying whether the liquor firms associated with Sahu adhered to the terms and conditions of their licences, including the minimum guaranteed quantity they were permitted to produce.
According to a report in India Today, the Sahu family has consistently played a significant role in supporting the Congress both financially and politically. His ancestral home has attracted visits from film stars and cricketers and is often referred as the ‘White House of Lohardaga’.
The Congress MP’s nephew Sanjay Sahu takes care of other family businesses, including a cold store in Ranchi’s Pandra and a bottling plant in Tupudana. Sanjay’s brother, Rahul Sahu, manages a liquor business in Jharkhand.
Dhiraj Sahu’s Total Wealth
As per the affidavit filed with the Election Commission in 2018, Sahu’s gross total value of moveable assets stood at Rs 20.4 crore and his immovable assets including agricultural land and property stood at Rs 14.43 crore. The total value of his assets stood at Rs 34.47 crore, at the time of filing his affidavit in 2018.
According to his affidavit, his annual earnings stood at around Rs 1 crore. He had four personal vehicles, including a BMW and a Range Rover. His wife reportedly owns 3.1 kilograms of gold valued then at Rs 94.5 lakh. Sahu himself owned diamond jewellery valued at Rs 26.16 lakh at the time.
The election affidavit also states that Sahu had capital invested in Baldeo Sahu Shiv Prasad Sahu – a family-owned company – to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore and in Baldeo Sahu and Sons to the tune of Rs 2 crore. He had also paid an advance of Rs 2.32 crore for a villa in Delhi, according to The Indian Express.