Jarange plays audio clip alleging Rs 500 crore routed via Shrikant Shinde; Shinde denies, BJP cites AI

Maratha reservation agitation leader Manoj Jarange Patil played an audio clip to the media at a press conference, stirring Maharashtra politics. The clip claims that a major political conspiracy has been hatched against the Maratha agitation and Jarange ahead of the Assembly elections. It also says Rs 500 crore was delivered to Jarange through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde.

At the press conference, Jarange levelled serious allegations against the BJP and ruling leaders. His main claim is that for the past three years a major political conspiracy has been under way behind the scenes to end the Maratha agitation, defame him and bring him under control. He said the clip had now brought the whole conspiracy out with proof.

The clip features three or four people talking on a conference call. It is claimed that they include a woman linked to the BJP's IT cell and some leaders. A woman's voice says: "Rs 500 crore has already reached Manoj Jarange Patil... this money has been delivered through MP Shrikant Shinde."

The conversation also says there are differing estimates of whether Jarange will prove an advantage or a loss in the coming Assembly elections. According to the clip, if Jarange is not stopped in time he will swallow everyone in Marathwada, so efforts to "damage" him must begin immediately. Names of some BJP leaders and office-bearers also come up, and regret is expressed that nobody in the party is ready to speak openly against Jarange.

After playing the clip, Jarange directly targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He said: "Eknath Shinde sahab, what did you tell the BJP people in Delhi about me? Why did some people claim that I took Rs 500 crore from the BJP and that you gave it to me through Shrikant Shinde? Did you give me Rs 500 crore? You will have to answer this."

Jarange also warned that if this is untrue and Shinde and Fadnavis do not get to the bottom of the matter and reveal the truth, the Maratha community will understand that they too have a hand in the conspiracy. He added: "If I ask every member of the Maratha community tomorrow to contribute Rs 100, I can collect Rs 2,500 crore within 24 hours. I do not need money." He thus rejected the allegations of financial corruption against him.

Eknath Shinde had denied all of Jarange's allegations even before the clip emerged. He said: "I have neither given anyone Rs 500 crore nor taken it. Jarange Patil should not make such allegations without any proof or investigation." He also demanded a thorough inquiry.

Uday Samant said that if the clip released by Jarange is genuine, it is a very serious matter. According to him, it is a calculated conspiracy to defame Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and MP Shrikant Shinde. He said the inquiry should establish who the woman in it is and who she is connected with. Sanjay Shirsat and Dada Bhuse have also demanded a high-level or SIT inquiry, saying the truth must be separated from falsehood ("doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani").

BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban raised a major question about the clip's technical authenticity. He said that today a person's voice can be copied exactly with AI technology, so it is wrong to accept a clip as genuine merely by listening to it. The BJP demanded a thorough inquiry by a forensic lab, the cyber cell and the police, and an SIT if necessary.

Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that if the person concerned or Jarange submits a formal complaint or application to the police or the government, a proper inquiry will be conducted as per the rules.

With demands for an inquiry coming from both the ruling side and the Opposition, there is a strong likelihood that a cyber or special team will soon examine the voice samples in the clip and its authenticity. While Jarange sees it as a big political conspiracy, leaders of the ruling parties are demanding an SIT inquiry to test the clip's authenticity.