Rahul Gandhi Should Clarify If He Gave Orders: BJP on Alleged Bitcoin Scam Involving Supriya Sule

New Delhi: Amid the alleged "Bitcoin scam" involving NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) on Wednesday asked Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi to give clarification from his side on "did he not give instructions to Nana Patole."

While addressing a press conference in Delhi, BJP MP Sambit Patra claimed that the alleged crypto scam involves a transaction to the tune of Rs 235 crore.

The BJP MP also hit out at the Lok Sabha LoP and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi over corruption, saying, “If there is any biggest player in this game of loot and corruption in this country, then it is Sonia ji and Rahul ji. And the way these things are happening allegedly and crores of rupees are involved in it, 235 crores rupees which we are hearing... We would like Rahul ji to hold a press conference on this and also give clarification from his side that did he not give instructions to Nana Patole?”

Patra further claimed that the transaction was taking place from Dubai. "The way Supriya Sule is instructing that don't play games with me, I need money immediately. And this transaction of Rs 235 crore is happening from Dubai, what is the reality behind it?...," he asked.

"...There are 4 such audios of Supriya Sule... Today Supriya Sule is saying that this is AI generated, this is not my voice whereas her own brother is saying that this is her voice. So very clearly we can hear what instructions Supriya Sule is giving and not only Supriya Sule, you can also see Nana Patole how he is giving instructions to Amitabh Gupta who is the commissioner...In the chat that has taken place in the chat box, in Signal app, apart from Supriya Sule and Nana Patole, there are some other big players.

What is ‘Bitcoin Scam’ Allegation Against Supriya Sule, Nana Patole?

In a major jolt to the NCP (SP) on Maharashtra election eve, the BJP presented an alleged ‘video and audio’ in which a female voice, allegedly of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule, can be heard saying, "Need cash in exchange for bitcoins. You need not worry about any inquiry; we will handle it once we come to power." In the alleged video shared with media by the BJP, Sule is allegedly speaking to Gaurav Mehta, an employee of the audit firm Sarathi Association. In a late evening press conference on the eve of Maharashtra polls, the BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed to expose Maha Vikas Aghadi ‘bit by bit’.

Note: Republic Media Network, across platforms and mediums of operation, cannot vouch for the authenticity of the alleged audio tapes, screenshots and recordings as released by the BJP.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also shared alleged screenshots of Signal chats between Gaurav Mehta, an employee of audit firm Sarathi Associates and ex-IPS Ravindranath Patil.

The presser came minutes after Ravindranath Patil, a former IPS officer from Pune made a big allegation against NCP-SCP Leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole. The former IPS officer alleged that the two leaders had misappropriated bitcoins from a 2018 Cryptocurrency Fraud Case and had used the same to fund the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly Elections . Patil says he is ready to support the investigation.

‘Baseless Allegations’: Supriya Sule Denies Allegation

However, Supriya Sule denied all the allegations levelled aginst her, calling them "baseless". After casting her vote for the state assembky electons on Wednesday she reiterated that all the allegations are false and that she is ready to face BJP over the issue. In a late night post on X on Tuesday, she wrote, "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 & civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making outrightly false allegations with an intent to deceive the public at large (sic)," she tweeted.

The BJP has alleged that the scheme was aimed at manipulating the elections. It alleged that there was a conspiracy to encash Bitcoins to influence the electoral process in Maharashtra. 

Assembly Elections: Polling Underway in Maharashtra 

Polling for Maharashtra assembly elections began on Wednesday morning, where the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine is hoping for a strong comeback.

Voting began in all the 288 assembly seats at 7 am and will end at 6 pm, an election official said. The votes will be counted on November 23. Over 9.7 crore voters will be choosing from among the 4,136 candidates in the fray, the official said. In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is fighting on 149 seats, Shiv Sena is in the fray in 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar -led NCP has fielded candidates in 59 constituencies. In the opposition’s MVA combine, the Congress has fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) has put up 86 candidates. Smaller parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), are also contesting, with BSP fielding 237 candidates and AIMIM 17 in the 288-member Lower House.