Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s close associate and social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat has received a notice from the income tax department regarding the increase in his assets between 2019 and 2024.
Shinde himself confirmed this while speaking to media persons at Vidhan Bhavan on Thursday. “I was given time until Wednesday, but I have requested some more time,” said the minister, adding that the notice was based on a complaint filed by someone.
He raised the political temperature by claiming that a similar notice was served on Dy CM Shinde’s MP son Shrikant Shinde, but later retracted, saying he had no idea about it.
The Aurangabad (West) MLA also said he would give a proper response. The notice is based on the rise in declared assets between the two elections, 2019 and 2014.
The state political circle was abuzz with different theories, and one among them was the notice that followed a day after the state legislature discussed the purchase of a hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar by a firm belonging to his son.
Although the deal has now been scrapped, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that it will still be probed further.
Another theory was an unexpected visit to New Delhi on Thursday by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, which led to various speculations.
Meanwhile, Shirsat said that the IT department took notice of a complaint. “They are doing their work, and I have no problem with it. I am not under any pressure”.
Returning about 20 minutes later, he claimed to have been misrepresented.
