Amid rising tension in Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance over an audio clip released by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday ordered a forensic probe, even as a leader of ally Shiv Sena accused some BJP leaders of conspiring to undermine Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and politically “finish him”. In response, the BJP said it would not tolerate such attacks from members of its ally.On Thursday, Jarange-Patil played an audio clip of an alleged conversation between BJP functionaries about efforts to counter his influence before the 2024 Assembly elections, including references to Rs 500 crore allegedly paid to him through Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, the Deputy CM’s son. The Sena has dismissed the allegations, while the BJP has cast doubts about the clip’s authenticity.Advertisement“I have ordered a forensic probe into the audio clip that has come out in public. The matter will be thoroughly investigated to authenticate it. Even Jarange-Patil has demanded an investigation. The Shiv Sena leaders and ministers met me and sought a thorough probe. The question is why such an audio clip has surfaced after two-and-a-half years. What was the motive and whom are they targeting?” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.Earlier in the day, Sena leader Ramdas Kadam addressed a press conference here in which he laid the blame at the BJP’s doorstep. “Is it that some people in the BJP are trying to cut Shinde down as his popularity grows? Who are the ones in the BJP trying to finish Eknath Shinde? The BJP will have to answer who within the party is working against its own alliance partner,” Kadam said.Kadam showed the press photographs of Jarange-Patil and BJP MLA Prasad Lad sharing meals and at public meetings, questioning the activist’s association with the ruling party. Kadam alleged that at one such public meeting, Jarange-Patil had criticised Shinde in Lad’s presence. The Sena leader also named BJP MLC Pravin Darekar in connection with his allegations and said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Fadnavis, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, seeking an investigation.AdvertisementDescribing the matter as serious, Sena leader and state Industries Minister Uday Samant said the clip appeared to be an attempt to create discord within the Maratha community. He alleged that the individuals heard in the conversation were associated with the BJP and called for their voice samples to be examined by a forensic laboratory to establish the authenticity of the recording. The clip was part of a conspiracy to defame Shinde since he had handled the Maratha community’s agitation effectively and consistently supported the community’s “cause of justice”, he told reporters in Kolhapur.BJP’s warning“If Ramdas Kadam is going to blame the BJP, we will not tolerate it. He may speak aggressively, but we too know how to respond. He must understand that he is part of the government and the Mahayuti. To remain in the alliance while attacking your principal ally does not fit Maharashtra’s political culture,” Darekar said.“We are in power together as allies. Why would the BJP want to finish off Eknath Shinde?” the MLC asked. “The BJP supported him when he became Chief Minister. If we had wanted to undermine him, we would have started then. If you accuse the BJP of conspiring and put it in the dock, we will not remain silent. If you think that by speaking loudly and attacking the BJP we will simply listen and tolerate it, you are mistaken.”“If there are differences or suspicions, senior leaders can sit together and resolve them. Making accusations through the media creates tension instead of strengthening the alliance,” Darekar said.BJP MLA Prasad Lad also hit back at Kadam, cautioning him against making statements that could create a rift in the Mahayuti. He urged the Sena leader to consult senior functionaries in both his party and the BJP before making such comments.Jarange-Patil also targeted Kadam, asking the Sena leader how he knew the date and time of the recording before it was played on television. “I have remained silent out of respect for his age, but Ramdas Kadam must stop making personal allegations against me,” he said.What the controversy is aboutAt his Dussehra rally in Beed district’s Narayangadh on October 20, Jarange-Patil accused the Deputy CM of routing Rs 500 crore from the BJP and routing it to him through Shrikant ahead of the 2024 state elections. This, the activist claimed, was done so that he could influence the Maratha vote, a substantial chunk of which had shifted towards the Opposition a few months earlier in the parliamentary elections.Shinde denied the allegation and dared Jarange-Patil to provide the evidence. On October 22, the quota activist released the audio clip whose authenticity, including the identity of the speakers, has not been independently established.While BJP insiders said this row would not have a long-term impact, they said it could dent the party’s image and, as Kadam’s remarks suggest, create a divide with the Sena, which has been uncomfortable ever since Shinde, a CM in the previous tenure, had to accept the Deputy CM position following the 2024 elections. There have been several instances of run-ins between the state BJP and Shinde, who enjoys a link with the top BJP leadership and has often travelled to Delhi to make his voice heard.“Even if hypothetically we accept all three characters in the audio clip are allegedly from the BJP, none of them have a decision-making role. None of them are part of the core committee, which is the highest decision-making body in the state unit,” said a BJP leader.“Yet, irrespective of whether this audio is AI-generated or not, such discourse in public dents the party’s image,” the leader added.Another BJP leader said Jarange-Patil might have scored an “own goal” by releasing the audio clip. “By making such an audio clip public, Jarange-Patil has fuelled the view that he may have called off the agitation because of the money factor,” the leader said. The activist, however, has emphasised that he did not accept money from anyone.The controversy has also given the Opposition ready-made ammunition with which to target the Mahayuti alliance. “In the past, they (ruling coalition) used money power to split parties and buy MLAs. Now, this was used against Jarange-Patil,” said state Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal.