Raut writes to Amit Shah seeking ED probe into alleged Rs 500 crore deal linked to Jarange

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He has demanded that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Maharashtra Police investigate an alleged Rs 500 crore transaction linked to Manoj Jarange Patil, the activist campaigning for Maratha reservation.

In the letter, dated Monday, Raut said the ED should investigate the alleged financial dealings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The demand came after Jarange Patil made public an alleged audio recording. It is claimed to mention a sum of Rs 500 crore connected to Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The allegations have not been proved, and the authenticity of the recording has not been independently verified.

Raut said in the letter that Jarange Patil had made the allegation on October 20. According to the allegations, Eknath Shinde took Rs 500 crore from senior BJP leaders in Maharashtra, and it was to be passed on to Jarange through Shrikant Shinde. The claim is that the purpose of the alleged money was to weaken or silence Jarange's agitation before the 2024 Assembly elections.

Jarange Patil then released an audio clip as proof of his claims. The recording is said to discuss the alleged money and a strategy regarding Jarange's influence before the elections. However, whose voices are heard has not been independently verified. Eknath Shinde has denied the allegations, and Shrikant Shinde has also denied receiving any money meant for Jarange.

Raut has asked in the letter what the source of the Rs 500 crore was. He said it should also be made clear whether the money actually reached Jarange Patil. He has asked the Home Minister to direct the Maharashtra Police and the ED to trace the money trail and examine the role of the people named in the allegations.

Raut also referred to the alleged involvement of senior BJP leaders and both Shindes. He said the claims should be investigated in detail. He also requested that, if any wrongdoing is established, those responsible be identified and the findings made public.

Raut drew a comparison with the allegations of 2021, when Param Bir Singh, then Mumbai Police Commissioner, made charges against Anil Deshmukh, then Home Minister. Singh had alleged that Deshmukh set police officers a target of collecting Rs 100 crore a month. Raut said that because the amount in the present case is very large, possible financial irregularities should be investigated. However, the allegations in the two cases are different, and the claims about the alleged Rs 500 crore transaction have not been proved as fact.

Raut also raised the demand in a post on X, asking about the source of the alleged money and where it went. He said: "The Rs 500 crore case in Maharashtra must have reached you. Until now the BJP was buying MPs, MLAs, political parties and elections. Now it has started buying agitations too. The BJP gave money to Shrikant Shinde so that Rs 500 crore could be given to Manoj Jarange Patil. Where did this money come from? And did it actually reach Jarange or not? This is a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Please hand over the investigation to the ED."