Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra cabinet minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat received an income tax notice, a video has gone viral on social media which shows him sitting on a bed, purportedly next to a bag of cash.
Speaking about the viral video outside the assembly, Shirsat told the reporters, “People are always taking my videos wherever I go. This is common. The room seen in the video is my bedroom. I had come back from my travels and the bag seen is that (luggage). If the bag had money, wouldn’t I have kept it in the cupboard? I don’t even know when the video was shot. Such things won’t affect my career.”
ThePrint has not been able to validate the authenticity of the video. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut posted the video on his X page and said, “I feel pity for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis! How many more times will he just sit and watch his reputation being torn to shreds? Helplessness has another name: Fadnavis.”
The Maharashtra assembly session is currently underway. Earlier this week, the Opposition questioned the Social Justice Minister and alleged irregularities in the auction of a hotel in Chatrapati Sambhajinagar, to which Shirsat belongs. The Opposition alleged that there were irregularities in the tender process for the sale of Hotel VITS in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. One of the bidders was a company owned by Shiv Sena leader’s son Siddhant Shirsat. CM Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a probe into the deal.
On Thursday, Shirsat told media he had received an I-T notice seeking an explanation for the increase in his financial worth between the 2019 and 2024 assembly elections, from Rs 3 crore to Rs 35 crore according to documents submitted to the EC. Shirsat told reporters he had received the I-T notice based on someone’s complaint. “Some people had a problem with me, but I will answer them… The system is doing its work and I have no problem with it. I am not under any pressure. We have asked for time to reply to the notice, and will clarify our position,” he told the media.
ThePrint tried to reach Shirsat via calls. But the calls remained unanswered. This report will be updated once he responds.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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