Daijiworld Media Network - Barasat

Barasat, Jan 5: A video showing bundles of cash on a table with a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader seated behind it has gone viral on social media, triggering a political controversy in West Bengal ahead of upcoming assembly elections.

The clip reportedly features Mohammad Giasuddin Mondal, vice-chairman of the Barasat I Panchayat Samiti in North 24 Parganas, seated alongside local businessman Rakibul Islam, with large amounts of cash spread across a table. In the footage, a voice is heard asking over the phone whether a purchase would be made “in cash or on finance,” while another person is seen arriving with a nylon bag also containing cash. PTI could not independently verify the video’s authenticity.

Mondal dismissed the allegations, stating that the video is from 2022 and that he was not involved in any wrongdoing. “I was merely sitting there. It is an old video. Some friends were involved in a land deal. That is all I know,” he told reporters.

Rakibul Islam, seen speaking on the phone in the video, also denied any illicit activity, saying the cash was linked to a land transaction. “It is a two-year-old video. As far as I remember, money from a land deal was being counted. There was investment in land,” he said, adding that Mondal was a partner in the transaction and the location shown was not his office.

Local TMC leaders said the matter was under review. Barasat I block TMC convenor Mohammad Isha Sarkar said the party would take action if any wrongdoing is established. “If the authenticity of the video is proven and guilt is established, action will be taken. Questions also arise about the source of such a huge amount of cash,” he said.

The opposition BJP alleged that the clip reflects the ruling party’s “true character.” BJP leader Tapas Mitra called Mondal a “land mafia” and demanded an immediate investigation by central agencies. “We have seen cases like Anubrata Mondal and Partha Chatterjee. TMC is looting Bengal. We want the ED to investigate and the Centre to step in,” he said.