BJP Leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule has commented on the allegations made by activist Anjali Damania that at least 17 calls were exchanged between Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and rape-accused godman Ashok Kharat. Defending Shinde, Bawankule said that there is nothing wrong with making phone calls or meeting anyone.
While speaking to reporters, Bawankule said, "Rather than who called whom, or who met whom, what is more important is whether they are related to anything financial transactions is a very important question."
What did Anjali Damania claim?
On Friday, Damania alleged that at least 17 calls were exchanged between Shinde and Kharat during an unspecified period in the past. Damania claimed that she received Kharat's CDR (Call Detail Records) on WhatsApp from an unknown number.
"There were 17 calls between Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and Ashok Kharat," she said without specifying the period, adding that the longest conversation lasted for 21 minutes.
In addition to this, she claimed that, as per the CDR, Kharat spoke the longest on the phone with NCP leader Rupali Chakankar, with as many as 177 calls. She further alleged that there were eight calls each between Kharat and BJP leader Chandrakant Patil and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare. There was also a call between Kharat and BJP minister Ashish Shelar, she claimed.
According to Damania, Kharat also received calls from foreign locations including Oman, the UAE, Qatar, the Virgin Islands (the US) and Christmas Island (Australia).
Meanwhile, the self-styled godman was arrested in March after a married woman accused him of raping her repeatedly over three years. A total of eight FIRs have been registered against him so far. After his arrest, Kharat's photos with prominent Maharashtra politicians, including Shinde and Chakankar, went viral. Shinde, then Maharashtra Chief Minister, had visited Kharat's temple in 2022.
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