Facing scrutiny after a photo depicting Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule at a casino in Macau emerged on social media, he clarified on Monday. Bawankule explained that the image was captured by an unidentified individual while he was seated in a restaurant with his family after having dinner.
Taking to social media site X, Bawankule said This is the complex of the hotel where I stayed with my family in Macau. The hotel has a restaurant and casino on the ground floor. That photo was taken by someone when I was sitting in the restaurant with my family after dinner.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had posted a picture of Bawankule that he claimed was from a casino in Macao, a special administrative region of China. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader alleged Bawankule had spent Rs 3.5 crore in just three hours while gambling there.
Hitting back, the BJP said on its X account that our state unit president Bawankule had never played gambling in his life and that he was staying there with his family. Attacking Raut, the BJP further said those whose entire life had become a gamble cannot see anything else.