Amid defection buzz, Sanjay Raut slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, saying those who “couldn’t afford a rickshaw” now fly jets due to Thackeray. He alleged an “Operation Tiger” to fly out MPs and quoted a defection price of Rs 50 crore.
Amid speculation over a possible rift within the party, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on party leaders allegedly involved in defection talks, claiming they once “didn’t have the means to travel by rickshaw” but are now flying in private jets due to the political stature they gained under Uddhav Thackeray.
Raut alleges ‘Operation Tiger’
In a post on X, Raut alleged that a chartered aircraft landed at Nanded Airport as part of an ‘Operation Tiger’ to ferry away two MPs, in an apparent reference to ongoing rumours of defections from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
Maharashtra is currently witnessing an “Operation Tiger” buzz amid speculation that seven of the nine UBT MPs were in touch with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and looking to join the ruling party.
Back in 2022, Shinde, along with several MLAs, broke away from Uddhav Thackeray, splitting the party into two.
“A chartered plane lands at Nanded Airport… Under the guise of Operation Tiger, it picks up two MPs and takes off. They didn’t have the means to even travel by rickshaw. Thanks to Thackeray’s name, their worth has risen to the level of flying in private jets,” Raut wrote. नांदेड विमानतळावर एक चार्टड विमान ✈️ उतरते ऑपरेशन 🐅 नावाखाली दोन खासदारांना उचलून निघून जाते यांची रिक्षात फिरण्याची औकात नव्हती खासगी विमानाने फिरण्या एवढी किंमत ठाकरे नामा मुळे वाढली प्रत्येक गोष्टीचा हिशोब केला जाईल । डरपोक कोल्ह्यांच्या पळवा पळविला 🐅 का म्हणता? pic.twitter.com/ft19myQVD2 — Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 17, 2026
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader further warned that those abandoning the party would be held accountable for their actions. “An account of every single thing will be taken. The escape of cowardly foxes has been thwarted. Why Operation Tiger, you ask?” the Rajya Sabha MP post read.
‘Rs 50 crore per MP for defection’
Raut’s remarks come at a time when political circles in Maharashtra are abuzz with speculation that some Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs could break away from the party. However, the party has maintained that it remains united and has accused the ruling party of attempting to engineer defections.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s six Members of Parliament (MPs) are likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at 11 am on Wednesday.
In a separate post on X, Raut also took a swipe at the alleged attempts to engineer defections, claiming that the “Minimum Support Price” of an MP had been fixed at Rs 50 crore and that Rs 15 crore was “merely an advance amount”.
Responding to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra, Raut wrote, “Apna Sapna Money Money! No, no — Mahua ji, the Minimum Support Price is fixed at ₹50 crore per MP.(pcaas khoke) ₹15 crore is just the advance. Frankly, these people aren’t even worth ₹50,000. Their price has only gone up because of the Shiv Sena and TMC brand label.”
Priyank Chaturvedi’s ‘snake’ jibe at BJP
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday trained her guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the ruling party was attempting to engineer political defections.
In a post on X, Chaturvedi used a metaphor involving snakes to caution the BJP against believing that political leaders brought into its fold would remain loyal indefinitely. “The BJP should not remain under the illusion that by assembling a gang of cobras, they will feed the snakes milk and they will only bite the opposition. Your time will also come because it is the nature of a snake to bite; if today is our turn, tomorrow could be yours too,” she wrote in her post. (ANI)
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