New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): The second split in the Shiv Sena UBT faction appears imminent with 6 of the 9 MPs skipping a parliamentary party meet called by party MP Anil Desai. The six effectively form 2/3 of the UBT Sena strength in the lower house.
Faced with this dissent, the UBT Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that the faction has moved towards disqualifying the membership of absentee MPs, adding that a show-cause notice would be issued against them.
Speaking to reporters soon after the parliamentary meeting, he warned the rebel MPs and said that action would be taken soon, as rebellions violated the party whip.
“In our parliamentary party office, our Lok Sabha leader Arvind Sawant and our Chief Whip Anil Desai called a meeting of the MPs at 11 am today. Three Lok Sabha MPs were present: Arvind Sawantji, Rajabhau Waje, and Anil Desai. I am a Rajya Sabha member, but this meeting was important for the Lok Sabha. Those members who did not attend this meeting we consider it a violation of the party whip. They have not followed the party’s orders. So, the process for taking action has started,” Raut, along with MP Arvind Sawant, told reporters.
Slamming the party rebels over their “strategy”, Raut called the act “betrayal, dishonesty, conspiracy, and fraud.”
“They will be given a show-cause notice, answers will be sought, and we will move towards disqualifying their membership. They met the Speaker yesterday and asked to merge. We met the Speaker too – myself, Arvind Sawant, and Anil Desai. Our photo was also published. If those six people met him, show their faces. They call it strategy, we call it betrayal, dishonesty, conspiracy, and fraud,” he added.
Launching a direct attack on Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, He further added that the BJP will also have to pay a price for dirtying politics.
“You are still party members. You won the election on our party’s name and symbol. If you violate the whip, legal action will follow. You can see on TV, people are out on the streets in the constituencies of these people. This time, betrayal will cost Eknath Shinde and these traitors dearly. BJP will also have to pay a price for dirtying politics. Arvind Sawant is preparing the documentation for the disqualification letter,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, party MP Anil Desai said that disciplinary action was initiated against MPs who skipped a meeting, stating that show-cause notices have been issued to all absentees seeking an explanation for their absence.
Desai said, “The meeting just got over, show-cause notice was sent today.”When asked what kind of action would be taken against those who did not attend, he said, “Action is this only: show-cause notice. Why didn’t you come? That will be asked. Notice will be given to everyone who didn’t come.”
On what specifically would be asked of the absentees, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, “Questions will be like: you were informed, you were messaged, you were WhatsApped, you received it too. And you didn’t give any reason if you were coming or not, so your absence will be looked at that way.”
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Rajabhau Parag Prakash Waje, after participating in the meeting, said that six MPs were absent from the gathering.
The meeting of Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs at the party’s Parliament office in Delhi on Thursday amid speculation over possible defections under the “Operation Tiger”, with senior leader Sanjay Raut asserting that those who skip the meeting would be considered “traitors.”
Maharashtra is witnessing a fresh political buzz around “Operation Tiger”, with earlier reports suggesting that seven out of the current nine Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MPs are in touch with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and may be considering a switch, reviving concerns of another split similar to the 2022 breakaway led by Shinde that divided the party into two factions. (ANI)
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