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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Shinde ‘feasts’ on Thackeray’s party

AI generated image Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s worst fears proved true on Thursday when six suspected ‘turncoat’ MPs failed to attend its crucial parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi – signaling another ‘split’ in four years – and posing a serious challenge to ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership and credibility. The crucial parliamentary party meeting saw only three (out of total 9) Lok Sabha MPs – Arvind Sawant (Mumbai South), Anil Desai (Mumbai South-Central) and...

Shinde ‘feasts’ on Thackeray’s party

AI generated image Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s worst fears proved true on Thursday when six suspected ‘turncoat’ MPs failed to attend its crucial parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi – signaling another ‘split’ in four years – and posing a serious challenge to ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership and credibility. The crucial parliamentary party meeting saw only three (out of total 9) Lok Sabha MPs – Arvind Sawant (Mumbai South), Anil Desai (Mumbai South-Central) and Rajabhau Waje (Nashik) – in attendance as per a whip issued two days ago, when the so-called ‘Operation Tiger’ was in advanced stages. At the tense meeting, with their eyes trained on the doors, they waited for over an hour for their six LS colleagues - Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Omprakash Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim) and Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi) – who never turned up. Emerging from the meeting the ruffled trio of Raut, Sawant and Desai confronted the huge crowd of media-persons and announced what was already public knowledge – that the SS (UBT) was breaking again. A tense Sawant somehow managed to smile and said that since the 6 MPs have defied the party whip, they would face the appropriate consequences. “We have followed the procedures and sent them individual show-cause notices, seeking their replies within a week,” he said. Raut said that if they fail to reply to the show-cause notices, then the party will initiate the necessary proceedings – in the Parliament, the courts and the streets. Operation Tudva In a raging mood, Raut warned that the SS (UBT) workers will ‘teach’ all the six MPs a lesson and now the party had launched a counter ‘Operation Tudva’ – akin to a similar initiative implemented successfully by the (undivided) NCP in 2019. “They are unscrupulous, unprincipled traitors. We have been told that they have taken huge sums of money to break away from our party. They took Rs 15-cr. to board the chartered aircraft two days ago, and yesterday again took Rs 10-cr to go to an undisclosed destination in Rajasthan,” claimed Raut, his outburst splattered with expletives for the second day. He reiterated his demand that “if all the six MPs first resign from their seats and contest elections afresh, we shall not label them as traitors”, even as Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged that each MP reportedly stood to make Rs 85-cr, plus more through other means. Threatening MPs Angry Shiv Sainiks burnt effigies of all the MPs in their respective constituencies and threatened of physical attacks or their properties, prompting the state government to accord them Y-Plus category security as per a wireless directives issued by the State Commissioner of Intelligence Shirish Jain today. Indicating deep fissures, the absence of the six MPs pointed to the likelihood of them officially preparing to align with the Shiv Sena led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde marking success of the ‘Operation Tiger’. Yesterday, the rebels had called on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a letter seeking to be recognized as a separate parliamentary group. The SS (UBT) also met the Speaker yesterday to submit a counter-letter and urged him to refrain from according any recognition to the breakaway group, and stick to the laws and Constitutional norms. However, if the Speaker accepts the rebels’ plea, it could formalize the impending ‘split’ and prove a huge setback for the SS (UBT). Eknath Shinde gets the “lion’s share” of SS (UBT) Prowling stealthily and effectively Shiv Sena President and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde ostensibly masterminded the ‘Operation Tiger’ and took away the lion’s share of 6 (out of 9) MPs from his bete-noire, ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) – for the second time in 4 years with lot of symbolism attached to the political man-hunt. Though party sources remained tight-lipped, it is learnt that Shinde’s ace team of political and legal advisors have gone through all the nitty-gritties, all the possibilities, the fallout in Parliament, the courts and the streets, before giving the green signal to strike at Thackeray’s party. On the next course, a party leader said that “only Shinde-ji has the authority” to decide and speak on this”, and he may well have some new aces up his trademark white-shirt sleeves in the coming days.

How op Tiger was carried out by MPs

The breakaway group is scheduled to reconvene for a face-to-face meeting with Eknath Shinde today

Mumbai: In a major political upheaval, six Lok Sabha MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) have officially submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing their intent to break away and merge with the rival faction led by Eknath Shinde.


The strategic move was executed through a highly coordinated, staggered series of arrivals in the national capital, followed by immediate departures to various destinations across the country to avoid immediate political fallout.


The covert operation began in the early hours of June 16 when Nagesh Patil Ashtikar arrived in Delhi from Nanded by flight at 1:30 AM, while fellow MPs Sanjay Deshmukh and Sanjay Bandu Jadhav took separate commercial flights from Nanded later that day.


They were followed shortly after by Eknath Shinde, who travelled from Mumbai via a detour through Jaipur to arrive around 3:00 AM. MP Omraje Nimbalkar landed at 4:30 AM from Pune. Bhausaheb Wakchaure opted for a private jet from Hyderabad to reach the capital and Sanjay Dina Patil completed the group's arrival late on June 16, accompanied by MLA Pratap Sarnaik. To maintain a low profile, all six lawmakers congregated and stayed at a hotel in Noida.


The formal process of splitting from the party took place on the morning of June 17 through two separate audiences with the Lok Sabha Speaker.


Omraje Nimbalkar held an initial meeting with Om Birla at approximately 7:00 AM, after which the remaining five MPs met with the Speaker at 10:20 AM to hand over a joint proposal signed by all six members.


The rebel faction's letter levelled serious allegations against their parent organization, claiming that the Shiv Sena (UBT) has strayed from its core ideological foundation. The MPs further accused senior leadership of attempting to merge the outfit into the Congress party, thereby necessitating their decision to resign.


The letter formally requested that their parliamentary seating arrangements be altered to align with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction.


Immediately following their meetings at the Speaker's residence, the lawmakers quickly dispersed by air to diverse locations across India, effectively scattering before the news could trigger localized protests. Ashtikar flew to Chennai before proceeding to Tirupati for darshan, while Wakchaure boarded a flight to Varanasi.


Sanjay Deshmukh and Sanjay Jadhav travelled together to Ayodhya. Sanjay Dina Patil returned directly to Mumbai, and Omraje Nimbalkar flew back to Pune.


The breakaway group is scheduled to reconvene for a crucial face-to-face meeting with Eknath Shinde on June 20, where they are expected to officially release the full text of their resignation letter and disclose the precise details of their arrangement with the Speaker.


Who reached Delhi when?

Nagesh Patil Ashtikar

1:30 AM

Arrived via flight from Nanded


Eknath Shinde

3:00 AM

Arrived from Mumbai via a detour through Jaipur.


Omraje Nimbalkar

4:30 AM

Arrived via flight from Pune.


Deshmukh, Jadhav & Wakchaure

Daytime

Sanjay Deshmukh and Sanjay Bandu Jadhav took separate flights from Nanded, while Bhausaheb Wakchaure flew in on a private jet from Hyderabad.


Sanjay Dina Patil

Nighttime

Arrived in the capital accompanied by MLA Pratap Sarnaik.

 

Who went where after meeting  Birla?

MP

Destination

Nagesh Patil Ashtikar

Chennai (proceeded to Tirupati for darshan)

Bhausaheb Wakchaure

Varanasi

Sanjay Deshmukh & Sanjay Bandu Jadhav

Ayodhya

Sanjay Dina Patil

Mumbai

Omraje Nimbalkar

Pune


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