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Jarange vows probe into alleged Rs 500-crore audio clip, warns Fadnavis and Shinde

Beed, Oct 26 (UNI) Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Monday announced that his supporters will independently investigate the controversial audio clip on the alleged Rs 500-crore transaction, intensifying the political controversy in Maharashtra.
Demanding Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde to ensure a thorough investigation, he warned that failure to do so would raise questions about their possible involvement.
Speaking to the media, Jarange said he had begun looking into the matter and would not allow the controversy to be dismissed by merely declaring the audio clip fake. He asserted that his team would conduct its own inquiry and establish the truth behind the allegations.
"I have gone deep into this matter. Let us see what your investigative machinery does. The Maratha community's machinery will also show what it can do. We will investigate this case and will not rest until the matter is resolved," he made it clear.
He alleged that the woman reportedly heard in the clip held a senior position and was associated with a significant network involved in planning. Questioning why he would fabricate such a recording, Jarange argued that references to other incidents in the clip would make little sense if it had been created solely to target particular political leaders.
"If you think we will allow the clip to be declared fake and the matter to be closed, that will not happen. The Maratha community and the public understand what is going on," he said, alleging that attempts to suppress the issue would invite further suspicion.
Jarange strongly rejected the suggestion that the audio clip could have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI). He claimed that an AI expert had also indicated that the technology was not capable of producing such a lengthy recording in Marathi.
The controversy centres on claims of an alleged Rs 500-crore transaction linked to Shinde. Jarange questioned why the woman reportedly heard in the recording would make such allegations if they were entirely fabricated. He also suggested that the senior position attributed to her made the claims worthy of investigation.
He further claimed that tensions were simmering between the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena despite the public display of unity between the two allies in Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti coalition.
According to him, leaders and workers within the two parties were increasingly suspicious of one another over the controversy. He alleged that some in the Shinde camp believed there was a deliberate plan to politically weaken Shinde after he left the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
Jarange claimed that Shinde was under pressure because allegations had also affected his family, including his son. He suggested that the controversy could damage Shinde's political career and that the Deputy Chief Minister might be questioning whether he had been deliberately targeted.
"Both parties are experiencing internal resentment, but they are not expressing it openly in the media," Jarange claimed, adding that information about developments within their respective camps was reaching him regularly.
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