Shrikant Shinde: Rs 500 crore never reached me, I am also hunting for who got it

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said on Saturday that the Rs 500 crore mentioned in a controversial audio clip never reached him, and that he too is trying to find out who received it. It was his first public reaction since Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange played the recording. Shinde is the son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Speaking to reporters, Shinde said, "I too am looking for the man who was given Rs 500 crore. The money never reached me. My question is the same as Jarange's." He said he had been looking into where the money went for two days, and told the media: "If you find out, tell me. If I find out, I will tell you." He spoke in a humorous vein throughout. Of the sum itself, he said, "We were wondering what a pile of Rs 500 crore would look like and how many vehicles it would take to carry it."

Jarange released the clip on Thursday in Jalna. It has been the talk of Maharashtra politics for days. In the recording, which carries a conversation between two women, the speakers are heard saying that the BJP gave Rs 500 crore, apparently to manage Jarange, and that it was routed to him through Shrikant Shinde. One account describes the speakers as BJP office-bearers. Jarange said Eknath Shinde had passed the money to his son. After playing the clip, he asked Eknath Shinde to say whether the claim was true or false, and wondered aloud whether the BJP was playing a game against Shinde or against him.

The speakers are also heard discussing how to counter Jarange's growing influence in Marathwada ahead of the Assembly elections. One of them suggests dealing with him indirectly rather than head-on, because his campaign was painting the BJP as anti-Maratha, which could hurt the party at the polls. Jarange says a conspiracy was hatched to silence him and weaken the Maratha quota movement, and has demanded a thorough investigation into the clip and everyone involved. He has also denied taking any money.

Shrikant Shinde has denied the allegation as well. No independent investigation has so far established any of the claims about the alleged payment.

The Shinde camp met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the matter, and an inquiry was ordered. Shinde said the inquiry would clear the air. Fadnavis has directed a forensic examination of the recording to establish whether it is genuine, and how it was made and circulated.

The row has set the two ruling Mahayuti partners, the BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, against each other. Shiv Sena leaders have asked who leaked the clip and how people linked to the BJP could say such things about Shrikant Shinde. BJP leaders have accused Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut of getting an AI-generated recording made, while Raut alleges that a BJP legislator leaked it.