Sushma Andhare says 'karma returns' to Shinde, Fadnavis over Rs 500 crore audio clip

An audio clip put out by Manoj Jarange has caused a stir in Maharashtra. The clip allegedly claims that Eknath Shinde took Rs 500 crore from the BJP to give to Manoj Jarange. That is not all. The clip is not only with Jarange; Shinde faction leader Ramdas Kadam also has it. The BJP and the Shinde faction are locked in a sharp tussle over the clip.

Amid this, a Facebook post by Thackeray faction leader Sushma Andhare is widely discussed. Writing "Karma Returns", she took a swipe at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Andhare wrote in the post that two days ago she had heard only a one-and-a-half-minute portion of the clip. Today she heard the entire 30-32 minute audio and was stunned. She said that in the clip, people such as Sushil Kulkarni and Atul Bhatkhalkar talk without hesitation about creating a fake narrative about Uddhav Thackeray. According to Andhare, these people laugh as they discuss plots to defame Uddhav Thackeray.

Andhare also made personal attacks on Kulkarni. According to her, Kulkarni earlier used the surname Renapurkar and later changed it to Kulkarni. She also wrote that Kulkarni thinks he can run Udayanraje as well to suit himself, and asked why Udayanraje or his supporters are silent on this.

In the post, Andhare said the clip mentions removing people in the name of the Vadhavan port and other projects. According to her, the discussion is that anyone who speaks against these should be branded anti-national and said to be funded by America or China. Andhare said the clip also speaks of managing newspapers, so newspapers should have raised their voice against it, as it is a question of their credibility.

Andhare said her own name also figures in the clip. She wrote that when a woman does not bow down even after every attack, her character is attacked. According to her, it is not possible to manage Andhare.

Naming Shweta Shalini in the clip, she wrote that Shalini works on perception for the BJP. According to Andhare, she said in a meeting that Shinde gave Jarange Rs 500 crore and that the money was taken from the BJP. Andhare said many people in the Shinde faction are debating whether or not Shinde brought the Rs 500 crore. Chief Minister Fadnavis says he will investigate the clip, but does not state clearly that the money was not paid.

Andhare also wrote that the clip discusses a strategy of repeatedly spreading the claim that Sharad Pawar runs Jarange's movement or that Thackeray backs it, and of continuing to spread lies through YouTube channels. She asked the Maratha community to understand that such people want to make Marathas feel they are powerful but cannot use their own minds. According to her, it is also clear that people come forward, taking money, to defame such a large movement.

At the end of the post, Andhare wrote that the clip has removed the mask from the faces of Shinde and Fadnavis. She said everyone can tell the clip is genuine and whose voices are on it, but the rulers will not take a moment to call it false. She ended by writing, "Shinde, Fadnavis, remember one thing, karma returns."