'Murder Of Democracy' Raj Thackeray Targets CM Fadnavis & BJP Over Manoj Jarange's ₹500 Crore Audio Allegations

Mumbai, Oct 23: MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Friday described an audio clip released by Maratha activist Manoj Jarange alleging a Rs 500-crore payout as "nothing short of a murder of democracy", saying Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must demonstrate impartiality during the probe into the recording.

In a sharp post on X, Thackeray accused Fadnavis of trying to buy time by ordering a forensic probe into the audio clip, which he claimed featured BJP and RSS office-bearers.

Earlier in the day, Fadnavis said that the audio clip released by Jarange, which purportedly claims that Rs 500 crore was delivered to him through Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, will be thoroughly investigated using forensic methods.

Jarange Alleges Conspiracy Against Maratha Agitation

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 Eknath Shinde challenged him to prove allegations that the latter had secured Rs 500 crore from the BJP and funnelled it through his son and MP, Shrikant Shinde.

Thackeray Questions Impartiality Of Forensic Probe

"If you (Fadnavis) agree with that, then as chief minister, show Maharashtra how impartial you are and what action you have taken. Only then will this forensic (probe) have any meaning; otherwise, it will just be a forensic (investigation) twisted to your advantage," the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief said in a post on X.

"But if you actually listen to the conversation in this, you will realise it is nothing short of a murder and rape of democracy itself," he wrote.

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BJP And RSS Office-Bearers Allegedly Feature

Thackeray further claimed that some BJP office-bearers, those who play a key role in the party's social media, a senior RSS office-bearer and some YouTube influencers, who call themselves neutral political analysts, feature in the clip.

"The bit about Rs 500 crore is what's making waves. Explanations will come for that, and they absolutely must. But there should also be discussion on the way the BJP is bringing its heel down on social media and the press," he added.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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