Maharashtra Election: What is ‘Bitcoin scam’ allegation against Supriya Sule, Nana Patole?

NCP-SP leader and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule landed in a huge "Bitcoin scam" controversy on Tuesday, the eve of the Maharashtra polling day. Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole was also accused of being involved in the alleged "cryptocurrency corruption".

The voting in the Maharashtra Assembly Election took place on Wednesday, November 20. The key contest is between the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). The results will be announced on November 23.

What is the ‘Bitcoin scam’?

An audio clip, allegedly involving Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole, NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule, and former Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, was circulated on social media and aired on TV channels and YouTube by a BJP spokesperson and others.

The allegations against the three were initiated from claims by former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil.

Patil alleged that Sule and Patole misappropriated bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case to fund election campaigns. He named one Gaurav Mehta, who is an employee of an audit firm named Sarathi Associates.

"He [Gaurav Mehta] sent me some voice notes he had received on WhatsApp. There were three audio messages from Supriya Sule where she asks for cash in exchange for bitcoins. She also says that he [Gaurav Mehta] does not need to worry about inquiry, they will handle it when they come to power...," Patil said.

He added, “He [Gaurav Mehta] sent another voice note between Amitabh Gupta and Nana Patole where Patole is asking why there is a delay in cash... He sent me more recordings where Amitabh Gupta was asking for Rs. 50 crores... He sent me a voice note he sent to Amitabh Gupta, saying that they had made 4 crypto wallets under the names of Patil and Ghode (my colleague) and the transactions were done from these wallets.”

Patil said he is ready to cooperate with the investigation.

What did political opponents allege?

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “We want to ask 5 questions to the Congress: one, are you involved in the bitcoin transaction? Second, are you in contact with this person named Gaurav Gupta or Mehta? Third, the chats are yours [of your leaders] or not? Fourth, the audio in the audio clips is yours or not? Fifth, who are the 'big people'?”

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar claimed that he recognised his sister's voice in the audio clips mentioned by former IPS officer Patil as evidence of Sule's involvement in the scam and promised an investigation into it.

"Whatever audio clip is being shown, I just know that I have worked with both of them. One of them is my sister and the other is someone with whom I have worked a lot. The audio clip has their voices, I can figure out from their tone. An inquiry will be done and everything will be clear," Pawar said.

Supriya Sule clarifies

Supriya Sule filed a cyber fraud complaint with the Election Commission of India against Gaurav Mehta and Ravindranath Patil. She posted on X, “Familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters are being resorted to, a night before the polling day. We have filed a criminal complaint to the Hon’ble ECI & the Cyber crime department against the fake allegations made of bitcoin misappropriation...”

In another post, she asserted that she is prepared to answer the five questions BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi raised regarding her alleged involvement in a cryptocurrency fraud case.

Responding to Sudhanshu Trivedi's allegation against Sule, the NCP-SP leader told ANI, “I am ready to answer his [Sudhanshu Trivedi] 5 questions wherever he wants. Time of his choice, place of his choice and platform of his choice. I am ready to answer him because all the allegations are completely false.”

Meanwhile, in a series of posts on X, Sule said, "I deny all the allegations levelled against me by Sudhanshu Trivedi. All this is conjecture and innuendo, and I am ready for a debate with any representative of the BJP at a time and date of their choice, in a public forum."

She warned about filing a defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi. "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," Sule said.

Sharad Pawar also reacts

NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar also criticised the BJP's move. "The person who made the allegations was in jail for several months and taking that person along and making false allegations, only BJP can do this," the veteran leader said on Wednesday.

'AI-generated audio'

Congress leader and advocate Ravi Prakash Jadhav said a "doctored video" of Amitabh Gupta, Supriya Sule and Nana Patole was created with the help of AI. It went viral on social media and "BJP leaders shared it with various TV channels, which got telecast live."

"This is a fake video ahead of elections, to mislead voters and take political benefit. The accused should be punished as per the BNS and relevant sections of cybercrime...," Jadhav said.