BJP accuses Sanjay Raut of fabricating Manoj Jarange-Patil audio clips using AI to defame Fadnavis, Shinde; alleges pact with Rahul Gandhi

Days after Jarange audio clips allegedly referred to a ₹500-crore bribe, a war of words has broken out between the Mahayuti allies and the opposition

Days after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil played audio clips that allegedly referred to a ₹500-crore bribe given to him by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde to form a third front during the 2024 assembly elections, a war of words has broken out between the Mahayuti allies and the opposition. On Saturday, the BJP accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of fabricating the clips to defame ruling party leaders.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that the tapes had reached Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil through a BJP MLC who was “very close to the chief minister”.

While the tapes initially had the BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena at each other’s throats on account of Shinde’s MLA son Shrikant being referred to as the conduit for the bribe, the two allies on Saturday decided to call a truce, and Shinde asked his partymen to bury the hatchet and concentrate on the drought. The political confrontation then shifted to the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT), with Raut counter-alleging that a BJP MLC had leaked the clips to Jarange-Patil.

The Jarange-Patil tapes have BJP IT Cell leaders purportedly discussing the payment of ₹500 crore to Jarange-Patil through Shrikant Shinde. Sena leaders on Friday said that the clips were part of a BJP conspiracy to defame their party while the BJP retaliated by warning of a “fitting reply” to the Sena leaders.

Raut claimed that the tapes had reached Jarange-Patil through a BJP MLC who was “very close to the chief minister”. “They were leaked because of the cut-throat competition within the BJP’s state unit over a share of political power in the near future,” he said. “This is a sting operation conducted under the nose of Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister, and shows that the home department has turned against him. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) announced by him is merely a charade, and nothing will come of it.”

Raut also questioned why the CM had not registered a case before the announcement of the SIT, given the magnitude of the alleged transaction. “The figure of ₹500 crore has emerged from a conversation involving the BJP’s core team,” he said. “Who is Fadnavis trying to protect?”

The BJP, meanwhile, accused Raut of masterminding the fabrication of the clips using AI. “According to our information, the tapes were generated using voice-over technology at a war room in Vashi under Raut’s control,” claimed BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban. “Raut wrote the script involving ₹500 crore, and conspired to defame Fadnavis, Shinde and Jarange-Patil. This was done as part of a pact between him and Rahul Gandhi, as the episode would benefit the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) politically.”

Ban claimed that Raut had been working on fabricating the clips for two months, and that they had reached Jarange through a leader from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. “Originally, the amount to be quoted in the tapes was ₹100 crore,” he said. “But later Raut realised that the amount was too small to create a buzz and changed it to ₹500 crore. The patchwork in the tapes can easily be noticed when carefully heard.”

Jarange-Patil, meanwhile, reiterated that the clips were neither fabricated nor AI-generated. “They have exposed the ruling parties and their conspiracy against me,” he said. “I have been targeted through people associated with me, who were threatened, lured and harassed through ED notices. Some were asked to speak against me. It was a major conspiracy, which these tapes have exposed.”

Minister of state for home Pankaj Bhoyar said the police had begun forensically examining the audio clips into which Jarange-Patil as well as BJP and Sena leaders had demanded an investigation. “The examination will establish the authenticity of the clips,” he said.