Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje teared up during a press conference called by Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai, along with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, on Wednesday. This comes amid speculation that six to seven MPs of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party are preparing to switch to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.
Earlier, it was speculated that Waje was also among the group of MPs preparing to switch. However, he made his stand clear, saying that he is with Thackeray and that he would never abandon him.
Waje said, “I will not leave Uddhav Thackeray and go anywhere else. This is an unchangeable commitment. Switching parties would amount to betrayal, and I will never accept such a stain on my political career. No one from Eknath Shinde’s party has contacted me. In any case, the thought of leaving ‘Matoshree’ has never crossed my mind. I have always upheld party loyalty as my guiding principle, and there will not be even the slightest change in that till the very end.”
Meanwhile, after the press conference, the leaders met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to apprise him of the reports of what is being termed 'Operation Tiger'.
Sawant said, “We apprised the Speaker that despite the reports coming out, no one has come and told you that he is leaving the party. Even if they come, the Speaker must act according to the Constitution. There is also the anti-defection law, according to which a group cannot be recognised. This is the first thing.”
Raut said that the Speaker had assured them that he would act in accordance with the rules and regulations in the matter. He added, “The Speaker is a respectable person for us. We regard him. He assured us that the law, rules and regulations will be kept in mind in the matter.”
(With ANI inputs)
