Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Thursday released an audio clip, which purportedly claims that Rs 500 crore had been delivered to him through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, and alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to silence him and weaken his agitation.
He made the audio clip public, a day after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde dared him to prove the allegation that the latter had secured Rs 500 crore from the BJP and funnelled it via his son and MP Shrikant Shinde.
Reacting to the audio clip row, state minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said if Jarange has concrete evidence regarding the Rs 500 crore claim, he should lodge a complaint with the police or the district collector, while his party colleague and minister Ashish Shelar questioned the veracity of the audio.
Leaders of the ruling Shiv Sena hit back at Jarange, saying it was a "conspiracy to defame" Eknath Shinde and the party. They claimed that the speakers in the audio clip belong to the BJP, and sought a forensic probe into it.
Addressing a press conference in Ambad tehsil of Jalna, Jarange played the purported audio recording and demanded an investigation into the "conspiracy", while also seeking to establish the identity of the speakers.
In one of the clips, a woman allegedly claims that Rs 500 crore had been delivered to Jarange through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde. The recording also purportedly contains discussions about the possible political impact of Jarange's growing influence ahead of the 2024 assembly elections.
The speakers are allegedly heard discussing strategies to counter Jarange's influence in Marathwada, where he has been raising issues concerning Maratha reservation, farmers' problems and loan waivers.
One speaker reportedly claims that Jarange was portraying the BJP as anti-Maratha and discusses the need for Maratha and OBC leaders to consider the political implications.
One speaker allegedly suggests countering Jarange indirectly through other people, while another warns that his growing influence could pose a political challenge to the party in Marathwada.
The recordings also reportedly contain discussions about setting the political narrative around alleged 'love jihad' and 'vote jihad', cases in Ahilyanagar and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and opposition to the Vadhavan port project in Palghar. Another conversation purportedly discusses projecting foreign countries as attempting to create instability in India and refers to meetings with opposition leaders.
Jarange alleged that attempts had been made to discredit him and crush the quota movement over the past three years.
He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde order a thorough investigation to establish who was behind the alleged conspiracy.
"We have sources, and it is up to the CM and the deputy CM to look into the matter," Jarange said, alleging that attempts had been made to silence him.
"If CM Fadnavis does not order a probe into the clip, it means he himself is involved in the conspiracy," he alleged.
The activist also alleged that Shinde had betrayed the Maratha community's trust.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters over the issue in the Nagpur Graduates' constituency, Bawankule said, "If Jarange has concrete evidence regarding the alleged Rs 500 crore payment (as mentioned in the) audio clip and the conspiracy to implicate him, he should register an official complaint with the police or the district collector instead of speaking only to the media."
"Once a formal complaint is received, the CM and the Home Department will ensure an impartial and thorough inquiry through the relevant agencies," he said.
Reacting to Jarange's allegations, state minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant said those who are part of the conversation in the purported audio clip belong to the BJP.
"We demand a probe into the audio clip. If it is true, then it is very unfortunate. The discussion is not just restricted to Shrikant Shinde. There is a conspiracy to defame Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena," he said.
Calling for a forensic probe into the clip, he said the BJP has to make clear what action will be taken if the clip turns out to be true.
Another Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam claimed the clip dated back to October 14, 2024. "Why did you (Jarange) keep mum on this two-year-old clip? He needs to clarify this," Kadam said.
He asserted that Shinde has contributed to giving justice to the Maratha community.
"Those speaking in the clip belong to the BJP and there are no two ways about it. The conversation in the clip is part of a conference call and it has links to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Thane and Mumbai. Anyone who has claimed that money was paid but should provide evidence," Kadam said.
BJP minister Shelar said none of his party leaders or office-bearers could be heard in the purported audio clips.
Those who made the recordings public should have verified their authenticity first, he said.
"I demand that the CM order a thorough probe into the audio clips to establish how they were made, whether they are authentic or doctored, whether they were recorded illegally, who supplied them to Jarange and why he chose to make them public now," he said.
Shelar also said his party did not accept the manner in which Eknath Shinde was being implicated in the controversy.
