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.
“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? 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. On October 23, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a forensic probe into the audio clips. 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.
The deputy chief minister has rejected the allegations and sought an inquiry to determine if the tapes were AI-generated. However, the state police have not registered a formal case in this connection.
From where did such a big sum of money come from, and where did it go?” he said. 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. 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.
