Lagatar24 Desk
MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule has strongly denied allegations of involvement in a bitcoin fraud case, calling them baseless and politically motivated. The allegations surfaced just ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, with BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accusing Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole of using illegal bitcoin transactions to influence the polls.
Ajit Pawar’s Call for Inquiry
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, responding to the controversy, stated that a thorough investigation would be conducted to reveal the truth. “An inquiry will be done, and everything will be clear. Whatever audio clip is being shown, it has voices I recognize, but a probe will uncover the facts,” he said.
The controversy comes amidst the ongoing rivalry between two factions of the NCP—one led by Supriya Sule and her father Sharad Pawar, and the other by Ajit Pawar, who joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in 2023.
The Allegations
Ravindranath Patil, a retired IPS officer, accused Sule and Patole of being involved in a cryptocurrency fraud dating back to 2018. He claimed the funds were used in election campaigns. BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that audio clips linked to the case mention senior leaders and demand money for elections.
Trivedi posed five questions to the Congress, challenging the authenticity of the chats and audio clips and questioning their association with individuals linked to the alleged transactions.
Supriya Sule’s Response
Sule dismissed the allegations as “false and misleading,” labeling them a desperate attempt to defame her before elections. She announced criminal and civil defamation notices against Trivedi and offered to debate the issue publicly.
“These allegations are baseless. I challenge any BJP representative for a public debate. I have also filed complaints with the Election Commission and the Cyber Cell,” Sule said.
Reacting to Ajit Pawar’s comments, she responded, “He is Ajit Pawar; he can say anything. Rama Krishna Hari.”
NCP Founder Sharad Pawar and Congress React
Sharad Pawar defended his daughter, questioning the credibility of the accuser. “The person making these allegations was in jail. Only BJP can stoop to this level,” he remarked.
Congress leader Nana Patole called the allegations a political conspiracy and announced plans to file a counter-complaint.
