Following Income Tax’s discovery of crores of rupees in cash across Odisha and Jharkhand, linked to raids encompassing various locations connected to Chhattisgarh’s outgoing Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader, TS Singh Deo has called for a thorough investigation into the money’s origin.
Singh Deo emphasized the need for a comprehensive inquiry regarding the substantial cash recovery. “An investigation should delve into the source of the recovered money,” he remarked as the raids persisted for a third consecutive day, leading to the recovery of over Rs 200 crore in cash from multiple locations in Odisha and Jharkhand, including the residences of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu.
The Income Tax raids targeted Boudh Distilleries Private Limited (BDPL) and its affiliated entities. The search extended to Baldev Sahu Infra Pvt Ltd., a company associated with Boudh Distilleries, which holds ties to Dheeraj Sahu.
Addressing the recently concluded state assembly elections, Singh Deo acknowledged that while the Congress didn’t witness a decrease in its vote share, the Bharatiya Janata Party notably surged, securing a significant victory. “Our vote share hasn’t decreased, but the BJP’s has increased,” he stated. He further discouraged questioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) post-election losses, expressing skepticism towards the technology, citing the adoption of paper ballot voting in developed nations.
The election outcomes in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh proved detrimental to the Congress’s ambitions for 2024, particularly losing its hold in the Hindi heartland. Of the 90 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh, the BJP secured 54 seats while the Congress attained 35, with the BJP claiming a notable vote share of 46.27% against the incumbent Congress’s 42.23%.
The BJP’s resounding victory in tribal regions is perceived as a rebuff to the Congress’s caste census proposal.
