Ready to face action if speech found inappropriate, asserts CM Fadnavis

The war of words between Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena reached at peak as the campaign for the Palghar Lok Sabha by-poll is reaching an end. Sena released an audio clip in which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is purportedly asking party workers to use all possible means to win the election. However, Fadnavis termed the clip as 'twisted' and said he is ready to face any action against him if what he said in the audio clip is found to be inappropriate.

Fadnavis released a 14minute audio clip, claiming that it was the complete version of the "twisted" clip that was released by Thackeray during a rally on Friday. In the audio clip, Fadnavis is purportedly heard exhorting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers to win the Palghar Lok Sabha by-poll, slated for May 28, by using all means. The CM alleged that the Sena had edited the clip. "The Shiv Sena can see it is losing and has, thus, stooped to such levels. The Sena twisted my audio clip and presented it before the people to misguide them. "The full audio clip is 14 minutes long.

I will myself submit this audio clip to the Election Commission," Fadnavis said while addressing a poll rally in suburban Vasai. “My last sentence in the clip was that we are in power, but we will never misuse it. This line they never released. Had they shown it, their claims would have fallen flat," he said. Speaking at a rally on Friday evening, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray released the audio clip in which Fadnavis was purportedly heard asking BJP workers to use "saam, daam, dand, bhed" (all possible means) to win the Palghar by-election. After releasing the audio on Friday, Thackeray demanded that the Election Commission should act against Fadnavis. Ashok Chavan, president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee demanded the resignation of Fadnavis if the clip is authentic. He said, if the clip is fake then CM should take action against Thackeray. Meanwhile, Nawab Malik, NCP spokesperson, claimed, "An official in Forensic Laboratory confirmed that the original clip has been doctored. Though the voice in clip released by Thackeray and Fadnavis is of same person (Fadnavis), the tone and intensity is different. In his first speech, the flow and tone of voice is at a high peak whereas the tone in his last statement is different. There is no need to say as we are in power and will never misuse it. It is a baseless and inappropriate sentence.”