The BJP on Saturday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of creating an AI-generated audio clip alleging a "Rs 500 crore" payout to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, claiming that Rahul Gandhi was behind a "contract" to defame the saffron party.
The BJP claimed the alleged operation was aimed at triggering a rift among the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Jarange, while politically benefiting the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).
BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban demanded the registration of a case against Raut, if warranted, and a probe into whether the Sena (UBT) MP received funding from (Rahul) Gandhi in connection with the alleged operation.
"Sanjay Raut orchestrated the conspiracy from a war room in Navi Mumbai's Vashi. The contract to defame the BJP has been taken by Raut from Rahul Gandhi. Raut has been consistently pushing Gandhi's agenda over the past few days," Ban told reporters here.
He alleged that Raut had been working on the audio clip for nearly two months, using artificial intelligence to combine voice samples available on YouTube.
"Raut had scripted the purported conversations at the 'Saamana' newspaper's office and initially considered an allegation involving Rs 100 crore before raising the amount to Rs 500 crore to attract greater media attention," Ban alleged.
'Saamana' is the Marathi mouthpiece of Shiv Sena (UBT), headed by Uddhav Thackeray.
Ban alleged that the audio clip was subsequently handed to a person from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, who passed it on to Jarange. He claimed that the audio was designed to tarnish the reputations of BJP leaders, Shinde, and the Maratha quota activist and provoke a confrontation among them.
Amid an escalating row, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday ordered a forensic probe while Jarange demanded an impartial Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry.
The move came amid sharp accusations from Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam that BJP insiders were colluding with Jarange to politically "finish" Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
Jarange on Thursday released the audio clip in Jalna, alleging that a conspiracy was hatched to silence him and weaken the Maratha agitation. He made the recording public after Deputy CM Shinde challenged him to prove allegations that the latter had secured Rs 500 crore from the BJP and funnelled it via his son and MP, Shrikant Shinde.
In the viral audio, a woman is allegedly heard claiming that Rs 500 crore had been delivered to Jarange through Shrikant Shinde (deputy chief minister's son). Speakers in the recording are also purportedly heard discussing strategies to counter Jarange's growing political influence in the Marathwada region ahead of the 2024 assembly elections.
One speaker allegedly suggests countering Jarange indirectly, noting that his campaign portraying the BJP as anti-Maratha could pose a significant electoral challenge.
Ban said Fadnavis had announced a forensic probe into the matter, but demanded that investigators specifically examine Raut's alleged role and the operations of the purported “war room”.
"I am going to write to Fadnavis seeking an immediate investigation and registration of a case against Raut, if warranted. There should be a probe into whether Raut had received funding from (Rahul) Gandhi in connection with the alleged operation."
Ban further claimed that the audio clip would benefit only the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), while damaging the BJP, Shinde and Jarange. He said Jarange himself had sought an SIT investigation as he was not confident of the clip's authenticity.
(With inputs from PTI)
