Jarange says audio clip on Rs 500 crore is genuine, asks Fadnavis and Shinde to probe it

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday reiterated that the audio clip alleging he was given Rs 500 crore is genuine. He asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to investigate the matter fully and hold accountable everyone involved.

Jarange also demanded that Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam be questioned over the recording. He asked how the clip reached Kadam and, if it dates from October 14, 2024, before the Maharashtra Assembly elections, why it has surfaced only now.

Jarange himself released the clip on Thursday. It is said to contain a conversation of a woman who claims that Rs 500 crore was delivered to Jarange through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, the deputy chief minister's son. The authenticity of the recording has not been separately confirmed, and the alleged payments have not been proved.

Jarange said Fadnavis and Shinde should get to the bottom of the matter and not let the allegations hang. In his words, "People in the camps of Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis are encouraging people to defame us."

Jarange has denied taking any money. He alleges that a conspiracy was hatched against him because he has been raising the issues of farmers and ordinary citizens. He said, "We have brought out what happens behind the curtain. Truth be told, we have torn the curtain down. Leaders of all parties have woken up because of it, and that is what matters to me. I will go to the root of this matter."

He also said Fadnavis and Shinde should ensure that no one linked to the controversy is spared.

On Kadam, Jarange alleged that he has the full recording but made public only the portion that mentions Shrikant Shinde. Jarange asked the chief minister and deputy chief minister to ask the Shiv Sena leader where he got the audio.

Kadam has earlier accused Jarange of joining a faction of the BJP to politically "finish" Shinde. This has added to the tension between the two constituents of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the BJP and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde.

Jarange says the controversy is an attempt to damage his image and weaken the Maratha reservation movement. He alleges that "party funds" were used to defame him. He says he took no money through Shrikant Shinde.

The speakers in the alleged recording are heard discussing ways to cut into Jarange's political influence in Marathwada. The conversation is said to date from before the 2024 Assembly elections. One voice refers to the electoral impact of Jarange's campaign portraying the BJP as anti-Maratha.

Fadnavis on Friday ordered a forensic examination of the recording. He said it would establish whether the clip is genuine and who the speakers are.

BJP and Shiv Sena leaders are trading charges over the row. BJP leaders have accused Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut of getting an AI-generated recording made, while Raut says a BJP MLA leaked the clip. Eknath Shinde and Shrikant Shinde have denied that any money went to Jarange through them. Shrikant also rejected the allegation that he received money.