India, Oct. 26 -- Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil's release of audio clips claiming to feature an internal conversation among BJP functionaries has triggered a flurry of allegations and counter-allegations. But the key question is: who handed the recordings to Jarange-Patil, assuming they have not been fabricated?

According to insiders in the BJP and Shiv Sena, one of the suspects is a minister in the ruling coalition who belongs to the Maratha community. The alleged motive: to kill two birds with one stone by damaging both chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.

While Fadnavis has announced a forensic examination to establish the authenticity of the recordings, the clips have already gone vi...