In West Bengal’s Birbhum district, a businessman organized a grand wedding for his daughter, attracting celebrities from the Hindi and Bengali film industries. The extravagant affair left many comparing it to the high-profile wedding of Anant Ambani, the son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani.

However, the lavish event has sparked political controversy, with questions about the origin of the substantial funds that have been spent on the celebration.

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

Mandal, a stone trader, has also faced allegations of involvement in the cattle smuggling racket. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided his residence in August 2022 and later summoned him to Delhi for questioning.

On December 28, Mandal arranged a lavish wedding for his daughter in the town of Suri, Birbhum. The grand event featured a venue modeled after the iconic five-star Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur.

The wedding was attended by top 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 extravagant wedding, while actor Ankush Hazra, who was also present, commented, “I can’t talk about it… It’s just a professional trip.”

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

Meanwhile, the BJP and Left parties have come under heavy criticism of the businessman, alleging that he is also a Trinamool Congress member.

Birbhum BJP leader Dhruba Saha expressed skepticism about the event, saying, “I don’t know the budget, but I am surprised to see Salman Khan’s brother attending a wedding in Birbhum for the first time. It is surprising that such prominent guests are attending a local wedding, I suspect there may be unaccounted funds at stake.”

He further alleged, “We are all aware of Tulu Mondal’s connections 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 smuggling of cattle”.

CPI(M) district secretary Goutam Ghosh expressed concern over the financial resources of Tulu Mandal, saying, “I am not concerned about their past actions, but the administration and the police should question themselves how could such an extravagant wedding be afforded.”

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 money like this. These leaders must explain the source of their income, given the massive expense of this wedding.”