Taking a sharp jibe at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray amid reports of a massive political rebellion, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday declared that there is no longer any "faction" left in Maharashtra's politics, but only "one authentic Shiv Sena" led by Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde.
Amit Shah made these remarks while addressing a public gathering in Kolhapur, where he laid the foundation stone for the Rs 1,445.97 crore Mahalakshmi (Ambabai) Temple development and corridor project. The Home Minister took a deliberate pause before introducing Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Smiling, Shah addressed him as the "President of Shiv Sena and Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister." "Earlier, we had to refer to them as the 'Shiv Sena Shinde faction'. But now, no faction remains anymore; there is only one Shiv Sena," Shah said.
The remarks are being viewed as a direct acknowledgment of 'Operation Tiger', the code name for the ongoing political operation that has reportedly pushed Uddhav Thackeray's party to the brink of another major split. The political drama escalated earlier this week when six out of the nine Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs skipped a crucial parliamentary party meeting convened by Thackeray in New Delhi, defying a formal party whip.
Deputy Chief Minister Shinde on Friday dropped heavy hints of an impending political shift, declaring, "This is just the trailer, the movie is still to come." Addressing party workers, Shinde used sharp, aggressive rhetoric to hit back at opposition leaders who have been targeting him over the rumoured defection.
"People were asking what Eknath Shinde would say, who would take the stage, and what would happen? Look, this tiger stands right in front of you today!" Shinde thundered. "I have been watching for the past couple of days; a few dogs are barking daily. But let me tell you, dogs bark in packs, but a lion walks alone," he said.
Without directly naming Uddhav Thackeray or Shiv Sena UBT Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, Shinde responded to the UBT faction's warning of an "Operation Tudava" (Operation Stomp). Raut had previously threatened that party workers would "stomp" the rebel lawmakers if they entered their constituencies.