Dhiraj Prasad Sahu

He joined politics in 1977. He was jailed during Jail Bharo Andolan in 1978. In June 2009 he was elected to Rajya Sabha and again reelected to Rajya Sabha in July 2010.

In December 2023, the Income Tax Department conducted several raids on Sahu's premises across districts in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal and over ₹353 crore (US$42 million) cash and gold has been seized.^[5] The authorities had to deploy a significant strength of officials and cash-counting machines to count the seized cash. According to the details, initially, more than 30 officers along with bank staff were involved in the counting of the seized money. To speed up the counting the notes, the IT department deployed nearly 40 large and small machines and brought in more department and bank staffers.^[6]

Indian National Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the party "is in no way connected with the businesses" of Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, the MP in whose premises the IT department uncovered the cash stack. "Only he can explain, and should explain, how huge amounts of cash have been reportedly unearthed by the income-tax authorities from his properties," added Jairam Ramesh.^[7]

Sahu responded to the raid by saying that the money was related to his liquor firm and had nothing to do with the Congress or other parties. He refuted the BJP's allegation that the recovered cash was black money, saying that the source of the money was business firms run by him and his family.^[8]

He told people to let the Income Tax Department to decide whether the money was white or black. He has also said that he would give an account for everything.^[9]