"Main aim to change constitution": Aaditya Thackeray attacks BJP amid row over rebel MPs' switch to Shinde's Sena

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 22 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Monday launched a sharp attack on the BJP amid rumours that six rebel Shiv Sena UBT MPs would join the Eknath Shinde-led faction, accusing it of "breaking" UBT Sena's MPs and MLAs to gain enough votes in parliament to change the Constitution.
"Today they are breaking our MPs and MLAs as they are willing to change the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Voters prevented them in 2024, and they got only 240 MPs, but now they are trying that again by breaking parties; their main aim is to change the constitution," Thackeray said while addressing a press conference here.
His comments come as the party faces intense political turmoil due to what is being dubbed as "Operation Tiger," an alleged move to engineer a defection of several Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to the Eknath Shinde-led faction.
Thackeray condemned the shifting loyalties of the party's lawmakers, who he said were elected due to the collective efforts of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
"All these people were elected on Shiv Sena (UBT) with the help of MVA allies, and now they are switching to the other side against the people's mandate," he said.
The UBT leader strongly criticised the BJP-led government's capabilities, claiming, "BJP can riot in the country, put things on rampage, can campaign, but one thing is sure that BJP doesn't know how to rule. We are seeing this in BMC in Mumbai and PMC in Pune."
Aaditya also alleged that the government is misusing public resources to finance these political manoeuvres.
"These people don't have money for salaries of employees and welfare schemes, but they have money to buy MPs," he claimed.
"I think Shiv Sena is just one that is ours, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the other one is a space of BJP and not Shiv Sena Shinde, etc," he said.
The controversy has intensified after a parliamentary party meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday was attended by only three of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs. While Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, six MPs, including Sanjay Dina Patil, remained absent.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had earlier said that the process of seeking the disqualification of the absent MPs had already begun.
The political storm gained momentum after Shiv Sena MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi claimed that six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs had expressed confidence in Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and joined his faction.
The development comes amid speculation of a fresh split within Shiv Sena (UBT), with reports suggesting that six of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs may join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
The six MPs whose absence fuelled speculation are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar and Bhausaheb Wakchaure.On the other hand, Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, Rajabhau Waje and Sanjay Raut attended the party's parliamentary meeting. (ANI)