Mumbai, Oct 22 Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Thursday dubbed as “fake and fabricated” an audio clip made public by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, purportedly containing conversation about Rs 500 crore payment made to the latter, and demanded a thorough probe to establish its authenticity.
Talking to reporters today, the BJP leader said the clip had not been authenticated and appeared to have been doctored using technology.
He maintained that neither the BJP nor any of its senior or responsible leaders had any involvement in the alleged conversation.
“The clip is not genuine. We completely disagree with the conversation purportedly recorded in it. There is no connection between the BJP and this alleged conversation,” Shelar said, adding that the truth behind the recording must be established through a legal investigation.
Releasing the audio clip in Jalna, Jarange alleged a conspiracy involving a purported Rs 500 crore payment claimed to be done to him via Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde in order to “silence” him and to crush the reservation agitation.
Eknath Shinde had on Wednesday asked Jarange to verify his claims and produce evidence.
After Jarange’s press conference, ruling Shiv Sena leaders, including minister Uday Samant, said the voices heard in the audio clip were of BJP leaders.
However, Shelar denied the claim.
He said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should direct the police and cyber agencies to investigate the conversation, identify those involved in it and establish how the recording was created and circulated.
He said the investigation should also determine how the clip came into circulation, who brought it to Jarange and why it was made public at this stage.
The minister said audio and video recordings could be doctored with the help of technology and that an unverified clip could generate controversy without establishing the truth.
Recordings circulating publicly could not automatically be treated as evidence without supporting material and technical verification, according to him.
“The people who made the clip public should have verified its authenticity before releasing it. Such recordings circulate in the market, but their authenticity has to be established. A thorough inquiry is necessary to ascertain how this clip emerged and how it reached those who made it public,” he said.
Shelar said the BJP supported Jarange’s demand for an investigation and wanted the facts to be established through a proper legal process.
BJP’s Maharashtra chief spokesperson Navnath Ban also demanded a detailed investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or a special task force constituted by the state Home Department.
Artificial intelligence had made it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine recordings from fabricated ones, making an independent examination of the clip necessary, he said.
The alleged recording referred to Rs 500 crore and the assembly elections held two years ago, and that the public deserved to know the facts behind the allegations.
Since both Shinde and Jarange had denied the alleged transaction, Ban said, the government should investigate the matter and establish the truth rather than allow unverified claims to circulate.
Meanwhile, Shelar sought to downplay suggestions of differences within the ruling Mahayuti alliance over the controversy, following remarks by Shiv Sena leaders Uday Samant and Ramdas Kadam.
Shelar said the BJP would not accept attempts to cast aspersions on Shinde, whom he described as a leader of the Mahayuti alliance.
“If some of our allies have doubts or misunderstandings, we will sit together and resolve them. It would have been better had the statements been made after verifying the facts. There is no tension or divide within the Mahayuti,” he said.
He added that any concerns among alliance partners should be addressed through discussions and that the BJP was willing to clear up any misunderstanding.
On Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s remarks and references to a documentary, Shelar alleged that the exercise was intended to malign the BJP.
He said those making such claims should present evidence and co-operate with the police if they had documentary material to support their allegations.
Shelar said the BJP would not tolerate attempts to damage its reputation and urged those concerned to establish the truth rather than make allegations without substantiation.
He also criticised Congress leader Sachin Sawant over remarks related to the documentary, saying that people should obtain information about the matter before commenting on it or drawing conclusions before the police completed their investigation.
Shelar further criticised Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut over his remarks, describing them as being of a low intellectual standard.
(PTI News)
