New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut launched a scathing attack on six party MPs who skipped an urgent meeting convened by the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit in Delhi, warning them of political consequences and accusing the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of enabling the crisis engulfing the party.
The party had directed all its nine MPs to attend the meeting at its Parliament office amid reports that several lawmakers were in touch with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. However, only three MPs turned up, fuelling speculation of another rebellion similar to the split engineered by Shinde in 2022.
The absent MPs were Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Bhausaheb Vakchaure.
Visibly angry, Raut said the MPs owed their positions to the party and its workers and warned that they would face resistance in their constituencies.
“It is the party and the workers who made them MPs. Those very workers are now on the streets and will continue to be there. It will become difficult for them to stay at home. I am saying this on record,” Raut told reporters.
Escalating his attack, he added, “Go and show yourself in your constituency. If you do go, you will have to take the Indian Army along.”
Asked whether the party would approach the courts over the developments, Raut instead criticised the judiciary and the Election Commission.
“We shall see. The Supreme Court is also culpable for what is happening. The Supreme Court and the Election Commission are the primary parties responsible for the way democracy is being torn to shreds in the country,” he claimed.
The remarks come amid mounting uncertainty within Shiv Sena (UBT), with reports suggesting that at least six of its nine MPs are exploring a switch to the Shinde camp, potentially triggering yet another split in the party.
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