A day after he admitted receiving a notice from the Income-Tax (I-T) department, Maharashtra’s Social Justice Minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat landed in a new controversy after a video went viral on Friday in which he is seen with a bag allegedly full of cash. Shirsat, while accepting that the video was from the bedroom of his own house, claimed the bag had clothes as he had returned from a tour. “People like Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena-UBT MP) can make whatever allegations he wants. Nobody cares about what he says. The video is from the bedroom of my house. I’m sitting on a bed unpacking my bag after returning from a tour. Have I lost my mind to keep cash in a bag,” Shirsat asked. In the video, Shirsat is seen sitting on a bed wearing a vest. His pet dog is roaming in the room and an open bag is lying in the room allegedly filled with bundles of cash. Raut, sharing the video on X, said, “This interesting video should be seen by honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.” He added that he pities Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “How long will he keep seeing his image getting violated. Fadnavis is synonymous with being helpless,” he said. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray sought to know what action will be taken against Shirsat. “Where has this cash come from? Who gave it? Is it allowed? Will Income-Tax take action? Even they (Shinde and his MLAs) think that nobody can take any action against them as they have the blessings of BJP bosses,” Thackeray said. Congress leader Sachin Sawant said Shirsat’s explanation has further fuelled the controversy. “He has accepted that the video is genuine. He is saying why would he keep money in a bag? Does that mean he has no space left to keep money in his cupboard,” Sawant asked. On Thursday, Shirsat accepted that he received a notice from the I-T department. Shirsat reportedly received the I-T notice last week in connection with a sharp increase in his declared assets between the 2019 and 2024 elections. Days after Shirsat received the notice, his party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made an unscheduled trip to Delhi late Wednesday, where he reportedly met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda. While there was no official word on the agenda of Shinde's meetings with the top BJP leaders, the visit on the heels of the I-T notice to one of his close aides and party spokesperson has raised eyebrows. The I-T notice also comes amid a separate controversy over Shirsat’s name being informally linked by Opposition figures in the auction of VITS Hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. While the minister has not been officially named in any case related to the deal, the Opposition has been claiming that his son was involved in the deal. Shirsat, however, later withdrew from the bid.
