Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Friday, 19 June levelled explosive allegations against six rebel Lok Sabha MPs who defected to the Eknath Shinde-led faction, claiming that a late-night financial settlement was engineered to resolve an internal dispute over Cabinet berths in the Union government. The allegations came on Shiv Sena's 60th foundation day, as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party faced what critics are calling its second major split in four years.

What Raut Alleged

Raut flatly refused to characterise the defections as a political split, framing them instead as a commercial transaction. 'I do not consider this a split. A person leaves when they are bound to an ideology. When someone stands in the market to sell themselves and someone buys them, it is called trading, not a split. Our six people stood in the market two days ago, put a price tag on themselves, and were bought over. They haven't left because of some great revolutionary thought,' he said.

He further alleged that after the initial dispute over ministerial berths broke into open infighting, a compromise was struck overnight. According to Raut, the five remaining disgruntled MPs were promised an additional payout of ₹25 crore each over the next year, on the condition that they refrain from causing a public scene — allegations the rebel camp has not publicly addressed.

The Six Rebel MPs Named

Raut directly targeted the six lawmakers who skipped a crucial parliamentary meeting in Delhi despite a strict three-line party whip: Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, and Omprakash Rajenimbalkar. He alleged the six MPs have not yet returned to Mumbai and are 'currently hiding in holes under heavy police protection.'

'If you haven't committed a crime or a sin, why do you need an entire police fleet? Is Maharashtra's Home Department only meant to protect traitors while crimes against women rise?' Raut asked pointedly.

BJP and Alliance Partners in the Crosshairs

Raut also trained his fire on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, mockingly referring to Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan as 'Jamner chi Mavshi' — a colloquial dig — for claiming the MPs left because Thackeray had aligned with the Congress.

'When these six MPs won their elections, it was with the help of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Congress workers. Didn't you know Congress was part of the alliance then? Why this sudden hatred for the Congress?' Raut questioned. He went further, warning that if central enforcement agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were neutralised for even half an hour, 'the BJP in Maharashtra would break into seven pieces,' with Mahajan being the first to defect — a claim that amounts to a political threat rather than a verified assertion.

Disciplinary Action and Foundation Day Optics

With both the Thackeray and Shinde factions holding separate high-profile events to mark the Shiv Sena Foundation Day, the Thackeray camp has already moved on the disciplinary front, serving show-cause notices to the six absent MPs with a view to cancelling their parliamentary memberships.

Raut concluded with a direct challenge to the rebels: 'If you have even an ounce of shame left, resign from your MP posts. You won on our party symbol because Uddhav Thackeray and ordinary party workers spilled their sweat and blood for you. You took false oaths in the name of your parents, Sai Baba, and Goddess Bhavani — now show some courage, resign, and face the public openly.'

The crisis deepens as the Shiv Sena (UBT) navigates show-cause proceedings, a fractured parliamentary group, and a foundation day overshadowed by factional warfare — with the next move likely to play out in the courts or on the floor of Parliament.