Sanjay Raut Alleges MPs Flown to Delhi on Chartered Plane Amid Split Rumors

MUMBAI: Amid reports of "Operation Tiger" being underway to engineer a split in Shiv Sena (UBT), and speculation that six Sena (UBT) MPs had reached Delhi on Wednesday, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that two MPs were flown to Delhi from Nanded on a chartered aircraft.

He said every development would be accounted for and described the move as an attempt to flee political scrutiny.

"A chartered plane lands at Nanded Airport. Under the guise of Operation Tiger, it picks up two MPs and takes off. They didn't even have the means to travel by rickshaw. Thanks to Thackeray's name, their worth has risen to the level of flying in private jets. An account of every single thing will be taken. What is this if not the escape of cowardly foxes?" Raut said in a post on X.

Raut further claimed that Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje was in Delhi to attend a parliamentary committee meeting, while Hingoli MP Nagesh Ashtikar had stated that he was in Hingoli and not in the national capital.

"The magic of the media is this: Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje has left for Delhi for an industry committee meeting, and yet the news is showing something entirely different. Nagesh Ashtikar, the Hingoli MP, said, 'I'm in Hingoli, but these people can even forge my signature.' This time, the public and Shiv Sainiks will not let those responsible off the hook. That's for sure," Raut said in another post on X.

Reports earlier in the day suggested that six Sena (UBT) MPs had reached Delhi, triggering speculation that they could submit a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking recognition as a separate group.

Sena functionaries claimed that Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde was in Delhi on Wednesday morning and met some Sena (UBT) MPs who had arrived there. Shinde later left for Jaipur.