I have declined Rajya Sabha seats twice, will shout from rooftops when I am ready for politics : Sonu Sood after tax evasion allegations

The I-T department accused Sonu Sood of Rs 20 crore tax evasion and violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising funds for his charitable trust from abroad.

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New Delhi: Actor-philanthropist Sonu Sood clarified that he has no ambition of joining politics right now as many were guessing since his popularity soared after relentless social work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The actor who is currently in news for alleged tax evasion charges had recently collaborated with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for a school education mentorship. “I am not allying with AAP. You call me into any state – Karnataka, Gujarat, I will go immediately, like magic. I have worked in all states -- those ruled by BJP, Congress…,” the actor told NDTV in an interview after the Income Tax department carried out raids on his properties for four days from September 16 to September 19, 2021.

The I-T department accused the actor of Rs 20 crore tax evasion and violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising funds for his charitable trust from abroad.

However, the actor has denied all allegations. In a statement released by him, he wrote, “I have pledged myself to the service of the people of India with all my strength and heart. Every rupee in my foundation is awaiting its turn to save a precious life and reach the needy.”

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Many people have linked raids carried out by the I-T department on the actor’s property as politically motivated as it took place after he joined hands with the AAP. Sonu, however, reiterated that he doesn’t have any ambition to join politics right now as he is not ready. The actor further revealed that he has been offered Rajya Sabha membership by two political parties in recent times which he has declined.

“I declined two offers of Rajya Sabha seats from two different parties. Mentally I was not ready. I am currently happy in my place. Whenever I am ready, I will shout from the rooftops that I am ready,” he said in the same NDTV interview.

Sonu called himself a“law-abiding citizen” and said that he fully cooperated with the officials who raided his properties.

“Whatever documents, details they asked for, we gave. Whatever questions they asked, I answered. I did my part, they did theirs. Whatever questions they raised, we answered each and every one of them with documents. That's my duty. We are still providing documents…it is part of the process” the actor told the news portal.

He further added that even the officials were impressed with his paperwork. “I asked them – have you ever seen this kind of documentation, details, paperwork? They said no…they were also happy with whatever they were seeing. They said it was the smoothest four days of raids for them,” shared the actor.