NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday used harsh language against rebel party MPs after they skipped a crucial parliamentary meeting in the national capital. Raut's anger erupted when only three of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs attended the meeting, fueling speculation that a split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction may be imminent. The low turnout occurred despite the party issuing a three-line whip mandating the presence of all its MPs.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Raut launched a scathing attack on the absent MPs, branding them as traitors, dishonest, and frauds, and accusing them of betraying the party through their rebellion. This came just a day after he unleashed a sharp attack on the defectors, even urging television channels and reporters not to censor the abusive terms he used against them, saying, Don't cut it, run it. Defending his choice of words, he later said such expressions were commonly used in Maharashtra and insisted he knew when and where different language was appropriate.
A split in the Shiv Sena (UBT) appears increasingly likely amid speculation that six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs, enough to constitute the two-thirds strength required for a separate group, are set to align with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. This has fueled talk of Operation Tiger, a reported effort to engineer another major defection similar to the 2022 rebellion that split the party. The political landscape in Maharashtra remains tense as the Thackeray faction faces the possibility of further erosion of its legislative strength.
