SP leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav retaliated in kind and claimed that while the target was indeed Pammi Jain, the government had scored a self-goal by raiding the other Jain. Either to prove him right or wrong, central agencies raided the premises of Pammi Jain on December 31, ten days after the other Jain’s premises were searched. The SP leader was quick to allege that the raid on Friday was being conducted to cover up the earlier faux pas.But central agencies on Friday seemed to have targeted a large number of Kannauj based businessmen and perfumers. The raids have acquired political overtones partly because assembly elections are barely two months away and also because Kannauj and Kanpur are close to Saifai, where SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was born, and the region being SP’s stronghold. Demonetisation in November 2016 is widely believed to have crippled the opposition’s financial muscle before the 2017 assembly election. The raids in December 2021, some observers believe, are designed to strike a blow again at SP, which has been drawing huge crowds to Akhilesh Yadav’s rallies.BJP insiders, however, claim that the businessmen raided have had close relations with Shivpal Yadav, MP and brother of Mulayam Singh. Relations between Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav have been strained in the past and the latter parted ways with his followers and had floated Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party. A recent meeting between uncle and nephew however was believed to have brightened prospects of a tie-up. The alliance would have prevented traditional Yadav votes of SP from getting divided. The raids are seen by some as a strike directed more at Shivpal Singh Yadav.If the official version is to be believed, it all started when the Ahmedabad branch of the DGGI intercepted four trucks transporting Shikhar brand paan masala and tobacco without paying GST. Search operations were carried out in Kanpur at the manufacturers of Shikhar, M/S Ganpati Road Carriers and Odochem Industries. Inquiries unearthed fake invoices and a mismatch in the stock register and books maintained by the manufacturers and the transporter.On the night of December 22, the DGGI team raided the factory of Shikhar paan masala in Transport Nagar, Kanpur. Ganpati Transport’s office is also located near this factory, so, a team of DGGI raided Ganpati Transport too. As Shikhar paan masala owner Pradeep Agarwal was in Delhi, he could not be interrogated then, but DDGI took Ganpati Transport owner Praveen Jain into custody and started questioning him.Significantly, a DGGI press statement says that manufacturers of Shikhar paan masala had admitted to GST evasion and had paid up Rs. 3.09 crore towards their tax liability Pradeep Agarwal drew attention to himself by deleting Instagram and other social media accounts with endorsement of the BJP and the Prime Minister. Why would he do that? There is no answer yet.What linked Peeyush Jain to Agarwal was the ‘compound’ that he supplied to him. Jain’s ‘compound’ or perfume comprising sandalwood oil among other ingredients was the reason behind Shikhar’s popularity, claim business insiders. It was Jain’s secret ‘compound’ that made the difference and made Agarwal’s brand a distinct favourite.The owner of the transport company turned out to be Jain’s brother-inlaw. But surely that was no reason for searching his premises?Both the Jains happened to be from Kannauj and lived in the same locality on Jain Street. But Pushpraj Jain denies any association with Peeyush Jain. “We would exchange greetings when we occasionally met at temples or social gatherings,” he said, downplaying any association between the two. What is more, while Peeyush Jain had moved out to Kanpur, while retaining his modest house in Kannauj, Pushpraj Jain continues to operate from Kannauj, a traditional centre of perfumery.Peeyush Jain’s neighbours did not suspect he was rolling in money because the family’s lifestyle was as ordinary as that of the neighbours. This despite disclosures that he was supplying the compound to over 100 small or big companies and had an office in Mumbai.Those who have known him and interacted with him seem to be both shocked and surprised. “I do not recall any political conversation with him,” said a Kanpur businessman. Jain, he insisted, spoke little and never on politics. While he seemed to be reasonably well off, he never flaunted his wealth and people are indeed shocked to learn that he was sitting on Rs.197 crore pile of cash.Residents of Mohalla Chhipatti in Kannauj also remember Jain as a simple soul with no political affiliation. A devotee of Mahavir, he apparently led a ‘lower middle class’ life in Kannauj.Basic knowledge of chemistry came in handy for Peeyush Jain, who has an M.Sc. degree in chemistry. He used his knowledge to manufacture the ‘compound’– a flavour which is used to dilute the pungent smell of tobacco in paan masala and make it more palatable. It was a family business, his acquaintances claimed, as his wife and brother also had postgraduate degrees in chemistry. Very few people in Kannauj can manufacture the ‘compound’ like Jain, they claim, which is why he was called the ‘Compound King’.
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