Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 15 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday dismissed speculation surrounding “Operation Tiger,” asserting that party MPs elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections remain loyal to the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, while drawing parallels with the ongoing political developments in the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
This comes amid an ongoing political buzz surrounding the alleged ‘Operation Tiger’, where some reports speculated that seven of the nine UBT Sena MPs are in touch with Shinde Sena, and likely to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Addressing a press conference, Aaditya Thackeray urged people not to believe rumours and said Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs continue to stand with the party.
“Please do not believe in rumours. We have complete faith in our people, and our people have placed their trust in us. All the MPs who were elected in 2024, Uddhav Ji had gone to their respective constituencies during campaigning. The public elected them on the symbol of the Mashal (Torch). Some of them attended yesterday’s meeting in person, while others joined online. The people voted for them because they trusted them, and all of them are with us,” Thackeray said.
Referring to reports of unrest within the TMC, Thackeray criticised leaders switching sides after elections.
“Look at the case of the TMC. Around 20 MPs are reportedly leaving and forming a separate group. These people are ungrateful. They were elected in Mamata Didi’s name, but as soon as the political situation changed, they decided to leave and switch parties. We have laws and constitutional provisions to prevent such actions and party-breaking activities,” he said.
Speaking on farm loan waivers, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said his party preferred the term “Karj Mukti” (debt relief) and criticised the present government’s approach.
“When we implemented the scheme, we called it “Karj Mukti” (debt relief). The term ‘waiver’ is generally used for someone who has committed a crime and is being pardoned. Are our farmers criminals that their loans are being ‘waived’? During our tenure, there were no conditions or restrictions. We provided a blanket farm debt relief scheme. The relief we provided gave farmers significant respite, and even today, many farmers say that the debt relief announced by Uddhav Ji actually reached them,” he said.
Thackeray claimed the current government’s farm loan waiver resembled a favour rather than genuine relief.
“The current government’s loan waiver appears more like a favour than a genuine relief measure. Earlier, the government introduced the Ladki Bahin Yojana and declared nearly 86 lakh women eligible. They secured votes on that basis, but later many of these women were declared ineligible and several conditions and rules were imposed,” he alleged.
“We are going to launch an agitation against these decisions of the government. Our demand is clear: the farm debt relief should be provided without any conditions, and farmers’ loans should be completely waived,” he added.
Further, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 12 years in office, Thackeray criticised the BJP-led government over inflation, unemployment and governance.
“When they came to power, they said that ‘Achhe Din Aayenge’ (good days will come). Now, it seems that promise has been forgotten,” he said.
“Whenever you ask them about current issues, they talk about the past–what Nehru Ji did, what the Congress did, and what happened 60 years ago. If you look at the global stage, India’s voice has, in a way, become muted. Inflation and unemployment are rising,” he added.
Criticising the Prime Minister’s outreach programme, Thackeray said, “They speak about ‘Mann Ki Baat’, but they do not listen to or address the ‘Logon ke Mann ki Baat’.” (ANI)
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