Jarange's Rs 500 crore claim stirs Mahayuti, Shinde Sena seeks answers from BJP

Maharashtra politics is heated over an alleged Rs 500 crore scam. The matter began with an allegation by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who has levelled a serious charge against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Through an audio clip, Jarange Patil claimed that Shinde took Rs 500 crore from the BJP to end his agitation. The claim has caused a stir. On one side, Shinde's Shiv Sena is asking Jarange for proof, while on the other, answers are also being sought from the BJP.

Jarange had earlier released the audio clip in support of his allegations. The clip claims that Rs 500 crore was given to Shiv Sena's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde, to "manage" Manoj Jarange during the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

It is also claimed that in the viral clip, a woman office-bearer of the BJP is speaking to someone. She says that senior BJP leaders in Delhi had given Rs 500 crore to handle Jarange and that the money had been delivered.

As soon as the matter surfaced, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reacted sharply. He rejected the allegations and said that no one was given Rs 500 crore and no one took any money. He challenged Manoj Jarange to hand over any evidence he has to the investigating agencies. Shinde also said that people deliberately use his name for publicity.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant raised questions about the BJP leadership. Citing the alleged audio clip, he said in a statement, "People linked to the BJP are speaking in this audio. It should be subjected to a forensic examination. If this audio clip is genuine, the BJP should make clear what action it is taking against the leader concerned."

Samant also put a direct question to the BJP's topmost leadership, asking whether BJP workers are trying to create a rift between the two parties. He said, "Is all this being done keeping the Chief Minister and the BJP state president in the dark? If such acts are happening while the party's leaders are kept in the dark, is that good for the alliance? All this should be made public."

The BJP, for its part, has called the audio clip completely fake and misleading. BJP minister Ashish Shelar called the clip fake and appeared irritated by the discussion on the subject. BJP leaders claim that artificial intelligence has been used in the clip. The Congress has demanded an ED investigation into the matter.

Shiv Sena (UBT) has also commented on the Rs 500 crore matter. Sanjay Raut alleged that the money came from drug trafficking and targeted the government. Asked about the BJP's anti-drug campaign in Punjab, Raut said, "The anti-drug campaign should begin in Gujarat. Drugs worth thousands of crores of rupees are unloaded at Mundra port every day and sent across the country... All this money comes through strategy. The Rs 500 crore being talked about has also come from there."