Uddhav Thackeray: Mahadev app will become 'har har Mahadev app' if Baghel joins BJP

Uddhav Thackeray/ File Photo

Amid the controversy surrounding the Mahadev app, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. He remarked that Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel would have received a 'clean chit' if he were to join the saffron party, stated an agency report.

According to the report, he, while speaking at a book launch event in Mumbai humorously suggested that the Mahadev Betting app would transform into a 'har har Mahadev' app if Baghel switched his party affiliation. "Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel will not join the BJP, but if he does, this Mahadev betting app will become a 'har har Mahadev' app, and all the legal cases against him will be resolved," Uddhav Thackeray quipped.

After Chandrayan 3, ISRO now prepping to launch Aditya L1 mission to the sun in August

1 year agoPHOTO GALLERY

Assembly polls are currently underway in Chhattisgarh which will be carried out in two phases on November 7 and 17. CM Bhupesh Baghel has recently faced allegations of corruption related to the now-illegal Mahadev online betting app, creating a political storm in the state.

On Sunday, the BJP shared a video featuring Shubham Soni, who is an accused in the Mahadev betting app case, who claimed to be the 'owner' of the online betting platform. Soni, in the video, alleged that he has 'proof' of having paid Rs 508 crore to Baghel. He also asserted that he had paid money to others.

The Union government has taken action by issuing blocking orders against 22 illegal betting platforms, including the Mahadev app, following the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) request. The ED, which is investigating the Mahadev betting app case, recently stated that forensic analysis and a statement from a 'cash courier' had led to 'startling allegations' that the app's promoters had paid approximately Rs 508 crore to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and these allegations are now the subject of an investigation.

Recently, the federal agency summoned celebrities like Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Kapil Sharma, Huma Qureshi and Hina Khan who had promoted the Mahadev app and received significant payments. The ED officials told mid-day earlier that over two dozen celebrities will be summoned in the future so a probe can be conducted into financial transactions with these illegal apps since they believe that the money paid to celebrities were proceeds of the crime.