As Maharashtra goes to the polls for the crucial assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday intensified its attack on NCP(SCP) leader Supriya Sule and Congress leader Nana Patole over an alleged Bitcoin scam, promising a thorough investigation post-elections.
Ravindranath Patil, a former IPS officer from Pune, has accused Sule and Patole of encashing bitcoins in Dubai. The BJP swiftly launched a scathing attack on its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opponents, releasing purported audio clips and chats allegedly involving the two leaders.
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The saffron party claimed the funds were meant to influence the elections in Maharashtra and reiterated the need for a thorough investigation after the polls.
Reacting to the allegations, Sule announced that her lawyer would issue criminal and civil defamation notices against BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi, who made the accusations during a late-night press briefing on Tuesday.
“It’s appalling that such baseless allegations are made by Mr Sudhanshu Trivedi, yet not surprising as it’s a clear case of spreading false information the night before elections. My lawyer will be issuing a criminal and civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making outrightly false allegations with an intent to deceive the public at large,” she stated.
Following Sule’s dismissal of the allegations, the BJP maintained that the more she defended herself, the more she cornered herself.
“The matter will be investigated as soon as the new government is formed. There is no way we can allow the MVA to shortchange the people of Maharashtra,” BJP leader Amit Malviya said.
The BJP also shared alleged conversations between Sule and an individual named Gaurav Mehta, whom the party identified as an audit professional specialising in cryptocurrencies.
“Ex-IPS Ravindranath Patil has spoken. He has named Gaurav Mehta, an audit professional specialising in cryptocurrencies, Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, and IPS Bhagyashree Navtake. These are real people. A simple search on the internet throws up details on them and their involvement in the Pune cryptocurrency scam. The more Supriya Sule defends, the more she is pushing herself into a corner,” Malviya added.
Malviya further compared Sule’s defense to K Kavitha’s in the Delhi liquor scam and hinted at a similar outcome for her.
“Supriya Sule’s quick clarification on the Bitcoin scam establishes guilt. Her defense sounded a lot like K Kavitha Rao, KCR’s daughter. Similar fate awaits Sule?” he remarked.
BJP MP Sambit Patra, addressing a press conference on the matter, said it was natural for Sule to deny the allegations but emphasised that a trail exists that can be proven in an investigation.
“Till date, is there any thief in the whole world who has been caught and says that this is a true allegation? The one who is caught says that this is a false allegation. So naturally such a big theft has taken place. Bitcoin, cryptocurrency is no joke, these are transactional things. They leave their footprints. There is a trail. This can be proved in the investigation,” Sambit Patra asserted.
The BJP claimed that the voice in one clip was Sule’s. Her cousin and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, now an ally of the BJP, also suggested that one of the voices was Sule’s and the other was of Congress leader Patole.
“From the tone in the audio clips, I can identify the voices. One of them is my sister, and the other is someone I have worked with extensively. An inquiry will be conducted, and the truth will emerge,” Ajit Pawar told reporters.
