Sanjay Raut claims rebel Shiv Sena UBT MPs took Rs 10 crore each to shift to Rajasthan
MUMBAI — Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday alleged that six of the party's dissident Lok Sabha MPs were paid an additional Rs 10 crore each and shifted to a safe location in Rajasthan. The allegations were made during a press conference following a major rift in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
The political crisis intensified after only three of the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha MPs attended a crucial parliamentary meeting in New Delhi. The MPs had been directed to attend the meeting through a three-line whip.
The three MPs who attended the meeting were Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje. They were joined by Raut, who is the party's lone Rajya Sabha MP.
The remaining six Lok Sabha MPs who stayed away from the meeting are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure.
Raut announced that formal action has been initiated against the six absent MPs for violating the party whip. According to Raut, the party will serve them showcause notices and seek their responses before moving to cancel their parliamentary membership.
During the press conference, Raut used strong language and warned of launching "Operation Tudwa" (bash up) against the dissident MPs, whom he labelled as traitors. He also demanded that the police security provided to these MPs be immediately withdrawn.
Raut had previously claimed that the MPs were being offered Rs 50 crore to switch sides. He criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly dirtying the country's politics, particularly in Maharashtra, and stated that they would have to pay a price for these actions.
Addressing reports that the dissident MPs had met with the Lok Sabha Speaker, Raut challenged them to release a photo of the meeting to the public. He asserted that because the MPs won their seats on the Shiv Sena (UBT) symbol, they remain members of the party and must face legal consequences for defying the whip.
