Dhiraj Prasad Sahu is an Indian politician, a veteran member of the Indian National Congress, and a three-time Rajya Sabha MP. In 2023, he was involved in one of India’s biggest IT raids which involved approximately Rs. 351 crores of unaccounted cash.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Dhiraj Prasad Sahu was born on Monday, 23 November 1959 (age 64 years; as of 2023) in Lohardaga, Jharkhand. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. In 1979, he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at Marwari College, Ranchi University, Jharkhand.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 60 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Dhiraj Prasad Sahu’s father, Baldev Prasad Sahu, was a freedom fighter who, after actively participating in the fight for independence, was given the title Rai Saheb. His mother’s name is Sushila Devi. He has six brothers. His elder brother, Shivprasad Sahu, was a Congress MP. In 2019, his other brother, Gopal Sahu, had contested elections from Hazaribagh but lost the elections.
Wife & Children
There is not much information about his wife. He has a son named Harshit.
Address
29, Firozshah Road, New Delhi, Delhi 110001
Signature/Autograph
Dhiraj Prasad Sahu’s signature
Career
Dhiraj Prasad Sahu entered politics on a ticket of the Indian National Congress. In 1979, he became a member of the National Students Union of India at Ranchi University and served as its member till 1983. In 1978, he was one of many who were put behind bars during the Jail Bharo Andolan. Later, he took charge as an office-bearer of the Congress party in the district of Lohardaga before joining the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee.
Dhiraj Sahu greeting Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Shillong
In May 2009, he contested his maiden Lok Sabha election from the Chatra constituency on a ticket of the Indian National Congress but faced heavy defeat in these elections. A month later, i.e., in June 2009, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in a bypoll; the seat was left empty by Digvijay Singh after he voluntarily resigned from the Rajya Sabha. In 2014, he again contested the Lok Sabha election from the Chatra constituency on a ticket of the Indian National Congress. However, he lost the elections and barely got a little over 16% votes. In May 2018, he preceded Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu to be elected to the Rajya Sabha for the third time from Jharkhand. In addition, he has been involved with several parliamentary committees; he is a member of the Standing Committee of Coal, Mines, and Steel as well as a member of the Consultative Committee of Power and New & Renewable Energy.
Dhiraj Sahu addressing a session organized by Hindalco Mines Employees Association in Samari, Chhattisgarh
Controversy
IT raid 2023
On 6 December 2023, the Income Tax department launched marathon raids against Boudh Distillery Private Limited, an Odisha-based distillery company, and its promoters on charges of tax evasion and unaccounted transactions. The distillery company is owned by Dhiraj Prasad Sahu and his family. A total of Rs. 351 crore cash was found at Dhiraj Prasad Sahu’s residence in Ranchi. Raids were also carried out at Sabalpur, Bolangir, Titilagarh, Boudh, Sudargarh, Rourkela, and Bhubaneswar. According to some reports, it is the largest cash seizure ever carried out by an agency in India against a single group and businesses associated with it.
Income Tax officials at Dhiraj Sahu’s residence
Later, Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary, released a statement regarding the issue and said,
The Indian National Congress is in no way connected with the businesses of Dheeraj Sahu, MP. Only he can explain, and should explain, how huge amounts of cash have been reportedly unearthed by the Income Tax authorities from his properties.”
Other BJP members alleged Dhiraj of misusing his powers and his close relationship with Rahul Gandhi. Deepak Prakash, former BJP State president and Rajya Sabha member, said,
This corruption cannot happen without the support of the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) government running the state. Congress and corruption have a close relationship. Whenever Congress has come to power, whether it is at the Centre or in State, rampant corruption has taken place. Dhiraj Sahu has a close relationship with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.”
During the ongoing case, an old tweet from August 2022 made by Dhiraj Prasad Sahu went viral on social media where he expressed his views on black money prevailing in the country even after demonetisation.
Dhiraj Prasad Sahu has a dark sense of humour. 😂#CorruptionKiDukan pic.twitter.com/2esDCyip1O
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 10, 2023
Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought attention to these raids on Twitter and promised to “guarantee” the return of all funds “looted from the public.”
देशवासी इन नोटों के ढेर को देखें और फिर इनके नेताओं के ईमानदारी के ‘भाषणों’ को सुनें… 😂😂😂
जनता से जो लूटा है, उसकी पाई-पाई लौटानी पड़ेगी, यह मोदी की गारंटी है।
❌❌❌💵 💵 💵❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/O2pEA4QTOj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2023
Car Collection
He has four personal vehicles to his name, a BMW, a Fortuner, a Pagero, and a Range Rover.
Salary
In 2018, his annual earning was approximately Rs 1 crore.
Assets/ Properties
Movable assets
Cash: Rs. 15,00,000
Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs. 2,42,31,965
Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs. 31,16,000
Immovable Assets
Non-Agricultural Land: Rs. 2,00,00,000
Residential Buildings: Rs. 95,00,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents.
Net Worth
Dhiraj Prasad Sahu’s net worth for the year 2019 was estimated to be Rs. 32 crore.
Note: It excludes the net worth of his wife and dependents.
Facts/Trivia
- In 2023, the Ranchi residence of Dhiraj Prasad Sahu that was raided by the Income Tax department was named Sushila Niktan after his late mother Sushila Devi.
- During the cash counting in the IT raid, the IT department used dozens of cash-counting machines and involved banks, but a lot of the machines broke down because of the large sum of money.
- He is considered to be an active member of the parliament and actively takes part in debates. Since 2010, he has put forward 630 questions in the Rajya Sabha, some of which include topics such as the Kavach Safety System, the purchase of paddy, losses resulting from damage to national highways, coal mine accidents, and the privatisation of airports.
- In November 2022, Sahu participated in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass movement which was held by the political party Indian National Congress.
Historic #BharatJodoYatra ended up winning the hearts of Indians.
Honoured to be a part of this historic journey.@bharatjodo @rahulgandhi @incindia#RahulGandhi #Congress pic.twitter.com/L3iDwyWXKx
— Dhiraj Prasad Sahu (@dpsahuINC) February 3, 2023
- Dhiraj Prasad Sahu is the third generation from his family to be associated with the Congress party. One time, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stayed at his residence in Lohardaga during one of her election campaigns.
- Reportedly, Sahu’s family is involved in many businesses such as liquor, hotels, real estate, transportation and fisheries.
- According to reports, Dheeraj Sahu’s father, Baldev, gave the Indian government Rs 47 lakh and 47 kg of gold after the country’s independence in 1947 to help boost the economy.
- Sahu’s ancestral role is often referred to as the ‘White House of Lohardaga,’ due to its important role in Congress’s political activities.
Categories: Politics
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
