Suvendu Adhikari Alleges Revenue Loss in Birbhum, Levels Charges Against Previous State Government

PTI, July 31, 2026, Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday alleged an approximate Rs 15,000 crore revenue leak in Birbhum district alone over the past 15 years, and said it would not have been possible without the support of the previous Mamata Banerjee dispensation.

Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat here, Adhikari claimed the racket, centred around absconding stone trader Mohammad Nazibuddin alias Tullu Mondal, could not have operated for years without political patronage and institutional support.

Multiple government departments were either complicit or remained silent on the directions from the "highest level", he alleged.

"It is impossible for such a large racket to have operated for so long without the support of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee," Adhikari alleged and flagged that Mondal had accumulated 242 vehicles, 21 properties and 300 bighas of land over the years, as per police findings so far.

"The siphoning of Rs 1,000 crore from one item (stone trade) in one area means the government, which ran the state over the last 15 years, is responsible for Rs 15,000 crore annual revenue loss from a single district. We will dredge out the main beneficiary of this pilferage, and for that we will leave no stone unturned," he added, reposing his confidence in the Bengal Police to get the job done.

His allegations came against the backdrop of the Birbhum Police recovering Rs 28.5 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold from the residence of Minar Mondal, a relative of Tullu, in Mohammad Bazar area of the district on Wednesday.

The haul resulted in total wealth recovery of about Rs 50 crore, as part of a wider crackdown against alleged illegal mining and revenue leakages in the district.