Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah to seek a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the controversial audio clips released by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, which allegedly discuss a ₹500 crore payout to influence the Maratha agitation.
In his letter shared on X, Raut also called for registering a case, saying investigators needed to establish the money’s origin and where it disappeared to, since Jarange-Patil hadn’t received it.
“It (the charges) needs to be thoroughly probed as to who gave ₹500 crore to whom and if this money did not reach Jarange Patil, where did this money disappear? From where did such a big sum of money come from, and where did it go?” he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP’s letter comes days after Jarange-Patil claimed that deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde boasted to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership about channelling ₹500 crore to the activist through his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. On October 20, he also released purported audio clips in which BJP leaders were allegedly heard discussing ₹500 crore paid to Jarange-Patil to shape the political narrative ahead of the 2024 elections.
{{/usCountry}}The Rajya Sabha MP’s letter comes days after Jarange-Patil claimed that deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde boasted to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership about channelling ₹500 crore to the activist through his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. On October 20, he also released purported audio clips in which BJP leaders were allegedly heard discussing ₹500 crore paid to Jarange-Patil to shape the political narrative ahead of the 2024 elections.
{{/usCountry}}The deputy chief minister has rejected the allegations and sought an inquiry to determine if the tapes were AI-generated. On October 23, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a forensic probe into the audio clips. However, the state police have not registered a formal case in this connection.
Jarange-Patil’s allegations have escalated the political confrontation between the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT). Over the weekend, Raut claimed that a BJP MLC had leaked the clips to Jarange-Patil.
In his letter to Shah, Raut said the ED had been at the forefront of investigating money laundering cases in India and had a reputation for investigating cases involving much lesser amounts.
Also Read: Fadnavis announces probe into viral clips linked to Maratha activist Jarange-Patil
In March 2021, the then Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh alleged that the then Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked him to collect ₹100 crore and give it to him every month. This was a mere allegation by Param Bir Singh without any proof whatsoever; despite that, the ED got involved with much alacrity and even arrested Deshmukh, Raut said.