Breaking his silence after 10 days on the record Rs 350 crore in cash seized from premises linked to him, Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu on Friday said that his family handles the business and the money recovered is not his, but belongs to the companies which were raided. He also emphasised that the money is not linked in any way to the Congress or any other political party. 

The Income Tax searches against a firm, Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd, and associated entities owned by Mr Sahu’s family began on December 6 and ended on Friday. Carried out in Odisha and Jharkhand, the searches yielded cash worth Rs 353.5 crore, marking the largest single seizure ever made by any investigative agency in India.

The record recovery, long search and videos of almirahs full of cash have been used by the BJP to slam the Congress and accuse it of corruption. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the party using a reference to the popular TV series ‘Money Heist’.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Mr Sahu said he has been in active politics for nearly 35 years and this is the first time such an allegation has been levelled at him. “I am hurt, and I can say with conviction that the money that has been recovered is my firm’s. We have been in the liquor business for over 100 years. I am involved in politics and did not pay much attention to the business. That was looked after by my family, and I would just ask how things were from time to time,” he said in Hindi. 

In upcoming elections scheduled in 2024 May, Prashant Kishore has agreed to play the advisory role to Chandra Babu Naidu who is leaving no stone to get back to power in style.

PK has been caught in Dharam sankat to support CBN as his fully armed team in I-PAC is committed to bring YS Jagan back to power. Reminding Mahabharat Krishna dharma Sankat to choose between Kaurav and Pandav when they reach out for help. Krishna asks Kaurav to choose between entire Man power and Amunition versus his advices. Kaurav choose Kirshna war force while Krishna was left to advice Pandava. Similarly, I-PAC team which has become brand to win election is engaged with YS jagan to bring YSRCP while PK co-founder of I-PAC decided to bring TDP back to power.

PK who has become hailed as number one uno Election strategist, has been offered hefty sum of 75 crore and bonus 50 crore post election. Interestingly, CBN has roped in Show Time consulting co-founded by Robin Sharma who was former colleague of PK.

This news is giving more fuel to speculations that Chandra Babu Naidu will win more Assembly seats compared to 117 in 2014.

Author

Sumanth Kumar Challapalli

In The Iron Claw, Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons step into the ring to portray the Von Erich brothers who made history in the world of professional wrestling in the 1980s. Their story is that of extraordinary highs and lows. Directed by Sean Durkin, the film also chronicles their personal tragedies. During a press conference attended by Filmfare, the cast and filmmaker came together to open up about the film’s making.

Zac Efron, best known for his roles in High School Musical and The Greatest Showman, admitted that he did not know much about the Von Erichs before he came on board to play Kevin Von Erich in the biopic film. He said, “I wasn’t aware of the Von Erichs before I read the script but after speaking with Sean, it seemed like that’s too much to happen to one person or one family. It didn’t feel as much like a wrestling movie as it did a really great movie about family and loss and being able to triumph over a crazy curse. It was really deep and I still can’t believe it.”

When asked how the film compares to the experience of filming The Bear, Jeremy Allen White, who continues to win acclaim for his performance on the show, said, “The intensity of the kitchen vs the intensity of professional wrestling – it seemed like it wouldn’t be competitive. That would be the obvious answer. But I find both industries to be very competitive and anxiety-ridden. I will say that I found the process of filming The Iron Claw was less anxiety-inducing for me than The Bear.” White plays Kerry Von Erich in the film. 

Triangle of Sadness star Harris Dickinson, who plays David Von Erich, opened up about going down the rabbit hole and researching for the film. He shared, “It’s really tricky because there is so much content on the brothers. There’s material to go off of and find your rhythm. But there are versions where they are in promo mode or in the ring where it’s all heightened. There aren’t enough of them just talking or at the farm or at home. We had to wonder what that might have looked like. It can get pretty obsessive. I spent a lot of time watching and listening to them. It’s a strange thing. I remember David’s nieces came up to me and said ‘You’re a British guy, how the hell did you do Dave?’ But I think it was lovely, they received it very well.”

The Iron Claw is set to release in theatres soon.