Uddhav Sena in firefighting mode, Sanjay Raut claims 2 rebel MPs in touch

Sanjay Raut said some dissident Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs remain in touch and talks are on with two. He also accused Amit Shah of insulting Bal Thackeray as the rebellion sharpened Maharashtra's political battle.

In Short

• Raut said rebellious MPs feared public anger in their constituencies
• Six Lok Sabha members skipped the June 17 Sena parliamentary meeting
• Skipping the meeting amounted to violating the party whip, Raut argued

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that some dissident MPs are in touch with the party and that talks are underway with at least two of them. He said these MPs were worried about anger among people in their constituencies and added that discussions could be held if they felt they had made a mistake.

Raut also attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remark that there was now only one Shiv Sena and that it was headed by Eknath Shinde. Raut said the statement insulted Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Maharashtra, and maintained that there was only one Shiv Sena, headed by Uddhav Thackeray.

Talking to reporters, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "Some MPs are still in touch. They are scared because of the anger in their constituency." He also said that if the MPs believed they had erred, talks could be held with them, and claimed that discussions with two MPs were currently on. Referring to Shah's statement, Raut said, "The more you insult the Shiv Sena (UBT), people of the state will stand against you."

Explaining the situation, Raut said all the rebel MPs were technically still with Shiv Sena (UBT). He noted that there were no orders from Speaker Om Birla in the matter and said the Shinde-led Shiv Sena had also made no official statement that it was joining the party. He said the six MPs had not said they had quit Shiv Sena (UBT), though they did not attend the party meeting and had therefore violated the whip.

MPs Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar skipped the Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on June 17, fuelling speculation that they were moving towards the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The Sena (UBT) has nine Lok Sabha members, and the rebel bloc needs at least six MPs, or two-thirds of the total strength, to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan said it was time to wait and see when the ED and CBI visit Raut. His remark came after Raut recently said that if he got control of the central investigative agencies, Mahajan would be the first BJP leader to defect. Mahajan said, "I have already made my stand clear on it. But now we will have to wait and see when the ED and CBI visit Raut's place." He also said, "On one hand, the Sena (UBT) says that whoever wants to leave can leave, but the very next day, it softens its stand against the same people. I don't think this will work any longer. People are disappointed with (Uddhav) Thackeray and are leaving him." Hitting back, Raut said there was no harm in waiting for the central agencies. "Central agencies have been sent to my house because they are your househelps," he said, adding, "You will hide in a burrow, commit suicide or switch parties when the ED, CBI comes to your house."

Raut's remarks brought together two strands of the current political fight: his claim that some dissident MPs remain in contact with Shiv Sena (UBT) despite missing the June 17 meeting, and his sharp exchange with Mahajan over the ED and CBI.

- Ends