New Delhi, June 17: The Shiv Sena UBT is bracing for a split with six Lok Sabha MPs reportedly set to cross over to the NDA, triggering a fierce pushback from the party. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday dared the rebels to resign before defecting.
At a press conference, he alleged a horse-trading drive called Operation Tiger is on to poach legislators ahead of the monsoon session. Raut claimed the six MPs are in contact with top NDA leaders and may join the Eknath Shinde-led faction. He alleged offers of Rs 15 crore per MP as advance and said chartered flights were kept ready in Nanded, Pune and one other location to fly them to Delhi.
But Operation Tiger is not going to be that easy, he said. Breaking the Shiv Sena UBT is impossible because we are the real tigers. Raut added that the MPs had sworn on Saibaba, Tulja Bhavani, Balasaheb Thackeray, and their families not to betray the mandate.
