Manoj Jarange Patil, the face of the Maratha reservation agitation, has released an audio clip that has stirred a storm in Maharashtra’s politics.
In the audio, an unidentified woman claims that Rs 500 crore was sent on behalf of the BJP through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde.
Following this revelation, a war of words has broken out between the alliance partners, the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Jarange Patil has categorically denied ever asking for or receiving any such sum. The entire controversy now centers around Shrikant Shinde.
It is alleged that this money was delivered just ahead of the 2024 state elections. The question now arises: was any money actually paid? And if so, where did it go? Let us examine the full story behind this controversy. The Shiv Sena perceives this as a conspiracy against it.
The Shiv Sena—led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde (Shrikant’s father)—views this as a conspiracy directed against them. Meanwhile, the BJP, a major partner in the alliance, also considers these allegations to be a calculated plot. Shiv Sena leader and former minister Ramdas Kadam has accused a faction within the BJP of conspiring to politically eliminate Eknath Shinde (Shrikant’s father).
On Friday, Kadam stated, “You are conspiring with the BJP to finish off a Maratha leader (Eknath Shinde).” He named BJP MLCs Pravin Darekar and Prasad Lad, and even presented photographs showing Lad and Jarange Patil dining together.
Darekar and Lad respond: “We won’t become another Sanjay Raut.”
BJP Legislative Council leaders Darekar and Lad hit back, asserting that the party would not tolerate such allegations being leveled against it. He told Kadam that he “should not become a Sanjay Raut”—a reference to the leader from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) who frequently targets the BJP.
Lad stated that it would soon be revealed who had been supporting Jarange Patil from behind the scenes against Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He warned that the BJP would respond in kind.
Eknath Shinde dismissed the allegation that he or his son had ever received any money. In Delhi, he remarked, “I have neither given nor received 500 crore rupees.”
What is the ‘500 crore’ issue?
Earlier this week, during a rally in Beed, Jarange Patil alleged that there was talk within the BJP camp suggesting he had been paid 500 crore rupees through Shrikant Shinde. During a press conference on Thursday, he played an audio clip, though he did not identify the three or four individuals heard speaking in it.
Eknath Shinde stated that Jarange Patil should have verified the claim and submitted any evidence to the relevant authorities. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while Fadnavis has already announced an investigation into the matter.
Following a meeting with a delegation from the Shinde faction on Friday, Fadnavis ordered a forensic examination of the audio clip. According to the news agency PTI, he remarked, “The question on everyone’s mind is: why has this conversation surfaced now, after two and a half years?”
Shrikant Shinde mocks the claim
On Saturday, Shrikant Shinde ridiculed the allegation. He remarked in jest, “The same question that crossed Manoj Jarange Patil’s mind also occurred to me, and now I, too, have set out in search of the answer… We were discussing what 500 crore rupees in cash would look like all together, and how many vehicles would be required to transport it.”
Later, Lad attempted to put an end to the controversy. He stated that following discussions with Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant spoke with him, and the matter is now considered closed.
He held Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut responsible for attempting to create a rift. According to PTI, Lad remarked, “We respect Eknath Shinde and consider him our elder brother.”
How much truth is there in Jarange’s claim?
Meanwhile, Jarange Patil has asserted that the audio clip is genuine. He demanded that Ram Kadam be asked how Jarange came to possess this clip. In the recording, which Jarange played in Jalna on Thursday, a woman is heard claiming that 500 crore rupees were delivered to her through Shrikant Shinde.
In the same recording, other individuals are allegedly heard discussing ways to diminish Jarange’s influence in the Marathwada region ahead of the 2024 elections. The authenticity of this clip has not been independently verified.
This controversy has emerged amidst ongoing speculation regarding tension between Fadnavis and Shinde. During a Dussehra rally earlier this month, Shiv Sena minister Gulabrao Patil referred to Shinde as a “future Chief Minister”—a remark that reportedly displeased BJP leaders.
Manoj Jarange Patil, the face of the Maratha reservation agitation, has released an audio clip that has stirred a storm in Maharashtra’s politics.
In the audio, an unidentified woman claims that Rs 500 crore was sent on behalf of the BJP through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde.
Following this revelation, a war of words has broken out between the alliance partners, the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Jarange Patil has categorically denied ever asking for or receiving any such sum. The entire controversy now centers around Shrikant Shinde.
It is alleged that this money was delivered just ahead of the 2024 state elections. The question now arises: was any money actually paid? And if so, where did it go? Let us examine the full story behind this controversy. The Shiv Sena perceives this as a conspiracy against it.
The Shiv Sena—led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde (Shrikant’s father)—views this as a conspiracy directed against them. Meanwhile, the BJP, a major partner in the alliance, also considers these allegations to be a calculated plot. Shiv Sena leader and former minister Ramdas Kadam has accused a faction within the BJP of conspiring to politically eliminate Eknath Shinde (Shrikant’s father).
On Friday, Kadam stated, “You are conspiring with the BJP to finish off a Maratha leader (Eknath Shinde).” He named BJP MLCs Pravin Darekar and Prasad Lad, and even presented photographs showing Lad and Jarange Patil dining together.
Darekar and Lad respond: “We won’t become another Sanjay Raut.”
BJP Legislative Council leaders Darekar and Lad hit back, asserting that the party would not tolerate such allegations being leveled against it. He told Kadam that he “should not become a Sanjay Raut”—a reference to the leader from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) who frequently targets the BJP.
Lad stated that it would soon be revealed who had been supporting Jarange Patil from behind the scenes against Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He warned that the BJP would respond in kind.
Eknath Shinde dismissed the allegation that he or his son had ever received any money. In Delhi, he remarked, “I have neither given nor received 500 crore rupees.”
What is the ‘500 crore’ issue?
Earlier this week, during a rally in Beed, Jarange Patil alleged that there was talk within the BJP camp suggesting he had been paid 500 crore rupees through Shrikant Shinde. During a press conference on Thursday, he played an audio clip, though he did not identify the three or four individuals heard speaking in it.
Eknath Shinde stated that Jarange Patil should have verified the claim and submitted any evidence to the relevant authorities. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while Fadnavis has already announced an investigation into the matter.
Following a meeting with a delegation from the Shinde faction on Friday, Fadnavis ordered a forensic examination of the audio clip. According to the news agency PTI, he remarked, “The question on everyone’s mind is: why has this conversation surfaced now, after two and a half years?”
Shrikant Shinde mocks the claim
On Saturday, Shrikant Shinde ridiculed the allegation. He remarked in jest, “The same question that crossed Manoj Jarange Patil’s mind also occurred to me, and now I, too, have set out in search of the answer… We were discussing what 500 crore rupees in cash would look like all together, and how many vehicles would be required to transport it.”
Later, Lad attempted to put an end to the controversy. He stated that following discussions with Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant spoke with him, and the matter is now considered closed.
He held Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut responsible for attempting to create a rift. According to PTI, Lad remarked, “We respect Eknath Shinde and consider him our elder brother.”
How much truth is there in Jarange’s claim?
Meanwhile, Jarange Patil has asserted that the audio clip is genuine. He demanded that Ram Kadam be asked how Jarange came to possess this clip. In the recording, which Jarange played in Jalna on Thursday, a woman is heard claiming that 500 crore rupees were delivered to her through Shrikant Shinde.
In the same recording, other individuals are allegedly heard discussing ways to diminish Jarange’s influence in the Marathwada region ahead of the 2024 elections. The authenticity of this clip has not been independently verified.
This controversy has emerged amidst ongoing speculation regarding tension between Fadnavis and Shinde. During a Dussehra rally earlier this month, Shiv Sena minister Gulabrao Patil referred to Shinde as a “future Chief Minister”—a remark that reportedly displeased BJP leaders.
