The BJP's Himachal Pradesh unit on Saturday accused the Congress of "sheltering the corrupt" over the recovery of a huge amount of "unaccounted for" cash in Odisha and demanded stern action against Jharkhand Congress MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu.

It also asked why Congress leaders are silent on the matter.

A huge pile of cash has been recovered so far in the searches conducted by the Income Tax department against Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Private Limited and entities linked to it. Premises linked to Sahu -- a Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand -- were also covered as part of the searches, according to official sources.

The seizure is expected to reach Rs 290 crore, making it the "highest-ever" black money haul by any agency in a single operation, the sources said on Saturday.

The Income Tax department conducted raids on the premises of business houses linked to Sahu in Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and recovered cash amounting over Rs 210 crore but senior Congress leaders are silent, Rajiv Bindal, chief of the BJP's Himachal Pradesh unit, said at a press conference.

This suggests that the Congress is protecting and sheltering corrupt people, Bindal added.

Bindal further said the raids, which began on Wednesday, are still underway and more cash may be recovered. But the main question is how so much cash was accumulated when the country was fast heading towards digital payments.

The BJP leader said Sahu -- a Rajya Sabha MP since 2010 -- accompanied Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra and claimed that "Congress, corruption and cash" have become synonymous.

He also questioned why Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are silent on the issue.

Bindal also hit out at the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government for proposing to celebrate a year in office on December 11.

"What is there to celebrate when there has been no achievement by the government except closing over 1,500 institutions?" Bindal asked.

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