Sena UBT writes to Speaker, warns rebel MPs to quit LS seats or face Sainik ire

New Delhi: INDIA bloc ally Shiv Sena (UBT), facing poaching of majority of its Lok Sabha MPs by the rival Eknath Shinde-led SS-BJP combine, on Wednesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him not to accord separate recognition to any purported faction or breakaway group claiming to represent the party and asking him not to allow the merger of any such group with another party - as was recently done by TMC rebels.

The looming shadow of a split in the party's parliamentary wing was visible at SS-UBT parliamentary party leader Sanjay Raut's press conference here as only three of the nine party Lok Sabha MPs were present. As Shinde was in confabulation with six rebel SS-UBT MPs in Delhi, Raut lashed out in typical Shiv Sainik style, including hurling some expletives, at the wavering party MPs and asked them to quit their Lok Sabha memberships or else face the Sainiks' ire. He alleged a ₹50 crore purchase tag on each deserter, and claimed that all nine MPs have been placed under the purview of the party whip, under which a meeting of all the party's Lok Sabha MPs has been convened by its House leader Arvind Sawant here on Thursday.

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Dubbing deserting MPs as "betrayers" and "backstabbers" and throwing some swear words at them, Raut, flanked by the party's Lok Sabha members Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje, said at the presser: "Those who want to leave can surely do so but they must resign from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and as MPs because it is the Shiv Sena-UBT leadership and its workers who worked hard to make them win elections. People of Maharashtra, the Shiv Sainiks for sure, will not spare them."

Raut also requested TV channels to "don't cut" the expletives he had hurled at the party rebels. Later, Raut's colleagues defended his use of swear words, saying given his life-long association with the Sena, Raut's sense of emotional outrage over the "betrayal" by rebel MPs should be understood.

Raut, Sawant and Desai also met Birla to file a caveat against the rebel MPs seeking recognition. "The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) continues to be recognised as a single political party represented in the House through its duly authorised leader and whip, and that no separate recognition, status, privilege or facility be accorded to any purported faction or breakaway group, claiming to represent the party," Sawant, the party's LS leader, said in his letter to the Speaker. "No decision be taken on any such request, if received, without first affording the Shiv Sena (UBT) an opportunity to place its submission before your office. The party reserves all rights available to it in law, including the right to invoke the provisions of the Tenth Schedule...," he added.

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Desai said: "If any group claims to have a two-thirds majority and expresses willingness to merge with another party, that is not sufficient on its own. The original party has to merge, as per the Representation of the People Act, and the provisions under the Constitution's schedule. We have stated through a caveat (to the Speaker) that our hearing should be considered if any such approach is made."

"The minimum support price is fixed at ₹50 crore per MP. ₹15 crore was paid in advance, only after that they boarded the chartered flights to Delhi. They didn't have the means to even travel by rickshaw. Thanks to Thackeray's brand name on them, their worth has risen to the level of flying in private jets," Raut said.