Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Sushma Andhare on Saturday sought to know why there was not a single BJP leader in the call detail records (CDR) released by activist Anjali Damania.

“Who is providing all this information to Anjali Damania? And how is it that not a single BJP leader is included in the list of CDR records released by her?” asked Sushma Andhare, deputy leader of the Thackeray faction. She was speaking at a press conference held in Pune on Saturday.

Andhare said while obtaining the CDR data is a positive thing, the source remains a mystery. “Anjali Damania claims that the then chief minister made 17 calls to Ashok Kharat. All incoming and outgoing records, timestamps, and call durations must be made public. When she mentions 17 calls from the then CM, the finger is pointed toward Eknath Shinde. However, what about those who granted ‘tourist destination’ status to Ashok Kharat’s Ishanyeshwar Temple and approved a Rs 1 crore beautification fund? Was there not a single call record found for them? There isn’t a single BJP person in Damania’s list. Something is fishy. We must investigate which BJP leaders called Kharat,” Andhare said.

When contacted, BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhaye said, “The investigation in the Kharat case is ongoing. No one should draw conclusions just yet. Let the investigation get completed. Everything will become clear.”

Despite the SIT (Special Investigation Team) investigating for several days, no information has been released, Andhare said. “We demand an inquiry into Ashok Kharat’s CDRs and his properties. The CM has announced in the House that members of the Shivanik Trust would be investigated. Then why hasn’t it happened?”

Andhare said Damania frequently leaks confidential government information. “Information doesn’t come from the SIT, but it comes from Damania. Does this mean the intention is not to bring the case to a logical end but merely to damage certain people’s reputation? This case involves the dignity of the daughters of Maharashtra; it is crucial to put the culprits behind bars. Simply targeting Rupali Chakankar will not suffice,” she said.

As for Rupali Chakankar, Andhare said she was summoned by the SIT probing the Ashok Kharat case. Andhare pointed out that Chakankar remained silent for three days before finally speaking up. “Did Rupali Chakankar manage the investigative agencies during those three days? Is she trying to signal that the agencies are in her hands and she can bypass the SIT?” Andhare asked.
Meanwhile, Anjali Damania shared a video explaining how she obtained information regarding this case.

“This morning, I received clips from numerous people regarding Jayashree Khadilkar and Prakash Mahajan. They are questioning how and from where I got this CDR. I had already provided the full details about this in my audio; they should have listened to it carefully. I mentioned that I received this from an anonymous person, and whenever I fight such cases, a wealth of information reaches me. However, I also stated in the audio clip that I first sent this information to the DG Office, the CM Office, and Tejaswi Satpute, who is the head of the SIT,” Damania said.

The activist said, “Two days later, I investigated the data thoroughly using AI to verify whether it was authentic or not. Once I realised the CDR was genuine, I felt it was necessary to bring it before the public and the ‘court of the people.’ That is why I made the information public. I did so by uploading it to the cloud, verifying every number, and obtaining the entire list through AI. I have sent all of this, along with my findings, to all media channels; they should understand this before speaking.”

On Friday, Damania had alleged that not just Rupali Chakankar, but several leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had called Ashok Kharat.

“Rupali Chakankar had made a total of 177 calls to Kharat, with a total conversation time of 33,727 seconds. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde had made 17 calls. His longest conversation lasted 21 minutes. Out of his 17 calls, 10 were incoming and 7 were outgoing,” she had alleged.