24 October,2026 04:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Raut. File Pic
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of orchestrating an alleged conspiracy to create an AI-generated audio clip claiming a Rs 500 crore payout to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, and alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was behind a "contract" to defame the party.
BJP leaders claimed the purported operation was intended to create a rift between the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Jarange, while benefiting the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT). The allegations have not been independently established.
BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban demanded a probe into Raut's alleged role, including whether he received funding from Gandhi in connection with the purported 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.
He alleged that Raut had worked on the audio clip for nearly two months, using artificial intelligence to combine voice samples available on YouTube.
Ban further claimed that the purported conversations were scripted at the office of Saamana, the newspaper associated with Shiv Sena (UBT). According to him, the alleged script initially referred to Rs 100 crore before the amount was raised to Rs 500 crore to attract greater media attention.
"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.
Ban claimed the audio clip was handed to a person from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, who subsequently passed it on to Jarange. He alleged that the recording was designed to damage the reputations of BJP leaders, Shinde and Jarange, and provoke a confrontation among them.
The BJP spokesperson said he would write to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking an investigation into Raut's alleged involvement and the operations of the purported war room in Vashi.
"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," he added.
The controversy escalated after Jarange released the audio clip in Jalna on Thursday, alleging that a conspiracy had been hatched to silence him and weaken the Maratha reservation agitation.
He made the recording public after Shinde challenged him to substantiate allegations that Rs 500 crore had been secured from the BJP and routed through Shinde's son, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that the recording would undergo a forensic examination to establish the facts. Jarange has sought an impartial Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry.
Ban and BJP MLC Prasad Lad separately claimed that an SIT probe had also been ordered. Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar has also stated that an SIT had been constituted.
Lad called for Raut to be named as the main accused in the alleged conspiracy and questioned by investigators.
"An offence should be registered, and Sanjay Raut should be the first person to be picked up for questioning. He should be questioned about how he knew how the clip was made, who made it and what went into its creation," Lad told reporters.
Citing information he said he had received, Lad claimed the recording was created at the Saamana press and that Raut had conceptualised the conversations, while the voices were generated using AI.
"The SIT should investigate how the audio clip was created and circulated, including how it reached Jarange," Lad said, calling for a forensic examination and an inquiry into the newspaper's studio.
He said he would write to Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, the state director general of police and the minister of state for home, seeking Raut's interrogation.
The dispute has also exposed tensions within the ruling alliance. Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam accused BJP insiders of colluding with Jarange to politically "finish" Shinde, adding another dimension to the controversy.
In the recording, a woman is purportedly heard claiming that Rs 500 crore had been delivered to Jarange through Shrikant Shinde. The speakers are also allegedly heard discussing strategies to counter Jarange's growing political influence in the Marathwada region ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The BJP has questioned the recording's authenticity, while Jarange has maintained that it points to a conspiracy against him and the Maratha agitation.
(With inputs from PTI)
