A video Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat sitting in a room along with a partially opened bag containing what look like bundles of notes went viral on Friday.
The Shiv Sena minister rubbished the claim that it was a money bag, and insisted that it contained only clothes.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MP Sanjay Raut, who posted the video on X, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should take note.
"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 posted on X.
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," he said.
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.
The video surfaced a day after reports emerged of Shirsat facing scrutiny from the Income Tax department regarding a significant increase in his declared assets, which 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 the media on Thursday that he has sought more time to reply to the notice.