Mumbai, Oct 24 Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday claimed a Maharashtra BJP MLC had leaked the viral audio clip purportedly asserting that Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde paid Rs 500 crore to Maratha activist Manoj Jarange.
He described the episode as the fallout of a “cut-throat” competition within the saffron party.
Talking to reporters, Raut said Chief Minister Fadnavis should first get a case registered and then conduct a forensic examination of the audio clip. However, the probe will not “yield any results”, he claimed.
“The clip was leaked by a BJP MLC. He was involved in the talks with Jarange. The CM showed him a lot of affection, which has backfired,” Raut said without naming the lawmaker.
Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Prasad Lad, considered a confidant of the CM, had held talks with Jarange during the activist’s fast over the Maratha quota in August.
Earlier in the day, Lad had accused Raut of being the main conspirator behind the Jarange audio clip controversy, which has triggered friction between his party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, both constituents of Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Leaders of the two parties have engaged in a verbal tussle after Jarange released the audio clip on Thursday. It purportedly claims that Rs 500 crore was delivered to the quota activist through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, also the son of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
Raut said the fundamental question was who had leaked the audio clip. He said there was a “cut-throat” competition within the BJP and the leak was a result of that.
The Sena (UBT) leader alleged that the CM had lost control over the state. He claimed that Fadnavis had failed as chief minister as well as home minister.
“If an internal clip is leaked, then the Home Department has gone against you (the CM),” Raut said, adding that the BJP was a victim of a sting operation.
Raut further claimed that the “cold war” between Fadnavis and his deputy Shinde had reached its peak. He alleged that the two could go to any lengths to finish each other off politically.
Besides Lad, Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban has also targeted Raut, accusing him of creating an AI-generated audio clip mentioning a “Rs 500 crore” payout to Jarange. He further said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was behind a “contract” to defame the BJP.
Amid an escalating row, Fadnavis on Friday ordered a forensic probe while Jarange demanded an impartial Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry. The move came amid sharp accusations from Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam that BJP insiders were colluding with Jarange to politically “finish” Deputy CM Shinde.
In the viral audio, a woman is allegedly heard claiming that Rs 500 crore had been delivered to Jarange through Shrikant Shinde. Speakers in the recording are also purportedly heard discussing strategies to counter Jarange’s growing political influence in the Marathwada region ahead of the 2024 assembly elections.
One speaker allegedly suggests countering Jarange indirectly, noting that his campaign portraying the BJP as anti-Maratha could pose a significant electoral challenge.
(PTI News)
