Cash worth `6.44 lakhs was recovered on Thursday from the hotel room of Congress party’s central leader Sagar Raika and Bihar Youth Congress president Lallan Kumar in Begusarai by the police who suspected the money was meant for distribution among voters to unfairly influence them.
The incident, taking place hours before Congress national president Sonia Gandhi began addressing her campaign meetings for Bihar’s ongoing Assembly polls, brought acute embarrassment to the party.
Both Raika and Kumar along with six others were detained after a police team that raided room number 104 of Hotel Yuvraj Deluxe at Barauni discovered the cash there.
They were, however, released on bail later in the day.
Both Raika, a member of a Bihar Congress committee entrusted with choosing candidates for the polls, and Kumar claimed the money was for legitimate use in the campaigns and not meant for distribution among voters.
Raika, however, alleged the possibility of a conspiracy by Bihar’s ruling NDA to defame the Congress.
“We are the party’s major campaigners and also in charge of the party in the state. This money was for genuine expenses in our ongoing campaigns. The police suspicions are entirely baseless,” said Lallan Kumar.