Mumbai: Maharashtra’s politics has been rocked once again. Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aditya Thackeray has launched a scathing attack against his party’s rebel MPs. Sharing a post on the social media platform ‘X’ on Monday (June 22), he accused the rebel MPs of prioritizing personal greed over ideology and betraying the voters. Calling these leaders ‘sellouts’, Aditya Thackeray said that they have betrayed the trust of the voters who had made them win with the support of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and ‘India’ alliance.
Accusing the rebel MPs of betraying the public, Aditya Thackeray said that all these leaders had reached Parliament thanks to the hard work and votes of Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi workers. The public had given a mandate against the NDA candidates and their policies, but these MPs shamefully sold their loyalty and reputation for their own selfish interests. He also reminded that during the elections, these same leaders were pleading with senior alliance leaders to hold rallies in their constituencies, but today, overnight, they have switched sides and joined the ruling camp.
Amid this major political crisis, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has taken a tough stand. Anil Desai, the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, has issued show-cause notices to MPs who were absent from the parliamentary party meeting in Delhi. The MPs have been sternly warned that they could be disqualified under the anti-defection law. All absent MPs have been given an ultimatum to submit a written explanation within 24 hours. The party has clarified that if a response is not received within the stipulated time, it will be assumed that they have voluntarily left the party, after which legal action will be initiated to cancel their membership under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
This controversy came to light when only three of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs (Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Vaze) attended a crucial parliamentary party meeting in Delhi. Six MPs, including Sanjay Dina Patil, Nagesh Ashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure, were absent. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has also clarified that the legal process to disqualify these rebel MPs has been initiated.
In political circles, this entire incident is being dubbed “Operation Tiger.” Speculation is rife that all six MPs are preparing to join the Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a claim confirmed by statements from some leaders in the ruling camp.
