Meanwhile, Shirsat said, “Had there been money, I would have kept it in the cupboard.” Asked if there were only clothes in the bag, the minister said, “Of course. There were clothes in it.”
A video of Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat has gone viral in which he is seen smoking in a room, and a bag full of cash is purportedly seen in the video. Uddhav Sena leader Sanjay Raut shared the video on X, stating that he felt pity for Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“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!” Raut said in a post in Marathi.
After the video went viral, Shirsat said the bag was not full of money and there was nothing inappropriate in the video. The Social Justice Minister and MLA from Shiv Sena has now been caught in the eye of a storm for allegedly keeping huge cash in a travel bag, a claim he has denied.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Shirsat said, “The house seen in the video is my home. It shows I am sitting (clad in a banian) in my bedroom. My pet dog and a bag are also seen. This means that I have just returned from travel and removed my clothes. If I have to keep such a big bag of money, is there a dearth of cupboards? But they see (currency) notes even in a cloth bag.”
Shirsat said, “Had there been money, I would have kept it in the cupboard.” Asked if there were only clothes in the bag, the minister said, “Of course. There were clothes in it.”
“Such claims won’t affect my (political) career,” he added.
Meanwhile, responding to the video, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray says, “… Today, it’s Sanjay Sirsat, sitting in his vest and underwear. We talk about ‘Khokhe’ (boxes of cash), ’50 Khokhe, Ekdum Okay’, one is clearly seen in the video. All these antics happening in just vests and undergarments, bags full of cash beside him, where did all this money come from? Who gave it?”
“Can anyone just roam around carrying such wads of notes? And regarding the Income Tax notice that came the day before, will the IT department take any action? Will any action be taken on the orders of the Chief Minister or not? These are important questions that need answers,” he said.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: On the viral video of Minister Sanjay Shirsat, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray says, “… Today, it’s Sanjay Sirsat, sitting in his vest and underwear. We talk about ‘Khokhe’ (boxes of cash), ’50 Khokhe, Ekdum Okay’, one is clearly seen in the video.… pic.twitter.com/JpiMcOUujK
— IANS (@ians_india) July 11, 2025
Shirsat was recently served notice from the Income Tax Department to explain the exponential rise of his wealth from 2019-2024. His declared assets surged from Rs 3.3 crore in 2019 to Rs 35 crore in 2024. The IT department has requested an explanation for this significant increase in his financial worth between the 2019 and 2024 assembly elections. Shirsat told media on Thursday that he has sought more time to reply to the notice.
Maharashtra Mantri in Eye of Storm
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has shared a video in which Shinde Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat can allegedly be seen sitting with a bag full of cash. However, Sanjay Shirsat rejects claims.@AruneelS shares more details with @prathibhatweets pic.twitter.com/po6rBr2nUm
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) July 11, 2025
NCP-SCP leader and MLA Rohit Rajendra Pawar reacted to Minister Sanjay Shirsat receiving an Income Tax notice, saying, “It’s not just him (Sanjay Shirsat) — even Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s family has received notices. It seems that Eknath Shinde is being deliberately targeted through the BJP…”
