West Bengal: Birbhum businessman’s daughter’s extravagant wedding ceremony raises questions on wealth source

A businessman in West Bengal’s Birbhum district threw a lavish wedding for his daughter, attracting celebrities from both the Hindi and Bengali film industries.The extravagant affair led many to compare it to billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani’s lavish wedding.

However, the lavish event has sparked political controversy, with questions over the source of the significant funds spent on the celebration.

Tulu Mandal, a businessman from West Bengal’s Birbhum district, is reportedly a close associate of Trinamool Congress Birbhum chief Anubrata Mondal, who was arrested in 2022 in a cattle smuggling case.

Mandal, a stone trader, is also accused of being involved in cattle smuggling.The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided his residence in August 2022 and later summoned him to Delhi for questioning.

Mandal threw a lavish wedding for his daughter in Birbhu, Suri on December 28. The grand event featured a venue modeled after Udaipur’s iconic five-star Taj Lake Palace.

The wedding was attended by celebrities including Bollywood actor and director Arbaaz Khan, actress Zareen Khan and singer Monali Thakur along with Bengali film stars Ankush Hazra, Sumit Ganguly and Darshana Banik.

Singer Monali Thakur performed at the lavish wedding, and actor Ankush Hazra, who was also present, said:

Reports suggest that hotels in Suri city and Birbhum district are fully booked to accommodate the guests attending the event.

Meanwhile, BJP and Left parties have criticized the businessman fiercely, claiming that he is also a member of Trinamool Congress.

Birbhum BJP leader Dhruba Saha expressed skepticism about the event, stating: “I’m not aware of the budget, but I’m surprised to see Salman Khan’s brother attending a wedding in Birbhum. It’s amazing that such high-profile guests are attending a local wedding. I suspect it might be unaccounted for.”

He also claimed. “We are all aware of Tulu Mondal’s links with the Trinamool Congress and his house has been raided by agencies in the past. I have also heard that the groom’s family has links with cattle smuggling.”

CPI(M) district secretary Gautam Ghosh expressed concern about the financial resources of Tulu Mandal, stating. “I don’t care about his past actions, but the administration and the police should question how he could have afforded such an extravagant wedding.”

He added: “If he is not associated with Trinamool then how can he spend so lavishly. We cannot deny that Trinamool leaders have illegal sources of income which allows them to spend such money. These leaders have to explain.” source: the amount of his income, considering the huge expenses of this wedding.’