Mumbai, June 16: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Tuesday claimed that there was an alarming “downfall” of India’s democratic and political systems amid engineered defections, alleged EVM destruction, institutional silence and public distractions, which were signs of an authoritarian shift.

The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, said the news of defecting MLAs and MPs has completely consumed India’s television channels and newspapers. While the burning down of four thousand Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) received zero debate on news channels, an MP missing a Shiv Sena meeting was sensationalised into a topic of national discussion. This is precisely what happens across the globe under dictatorial regimes: new controversies are manufactured daily to divert public attention from fundamental issues.

The party accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of becoming a “thief market of rumours”. “The harvest of rumours originating from this market is what they define as development. They have recently floated a rumour claiming that ‘Prime Minister Modi is the longest-serving Prime Minister’. However, they remained absolutely tight-lipped about the reality — not a rumour — that five crore rupees were embezzled from the Ayodhya Ram Temple,” it said.

“Furthermore, Prime Minister Modi failed to express even basic grief over the deaths of three Indian sailors killed in a US attack. Instead, he departed for a tour of France, immersing himself in dance and musical celebrations, while the bodies of those sailors lie rotting at a port in Oman. This desecration of the mortal remains of Indian citizens is deeply concerning,” it remarked.

The editorial argued that while these tragedies unfold, the BJP continues its relentless campaign of poaching MLAs and MPs from other political parties. BJP appears determined not to leave even a trace of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), founded by Mamata Banerjee. Consequently, TMC MLAs and MPs are defecting daily.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena alleged that the ruling dispensations showed no signs of stopping their arrogant onslaught to split opposition parties. “The BJP and its henchmen have begun bragging: ‘We broke the Trinamool, and now we will break the Shiv Sena again’. They are calling this ‘Operation Tiger’. In reality, a regime of cunning wolves is running the country and the state of Maharashtra, yet they boast about executing an Operation Tiger,” it commented.

The editorial said that during the BJP rule, the Speakers of the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies are effectively rolling up the Tenth Schedule and tossing it into the fireplace. Defectors openly march up to the Speaker’s doorstep, declaring, “We have split, give us recognition”, and the Speakers are seen openly participating in these illegal acts. Even the Election Commission and the Supreme Court appear to be functioning as protectors of the treacherous.

The Thackeray camp claimed that the BJP intends to impose single-party rule over the country. Their ultimate goal is to end democracy, alter the Constitution, and usher in a presidential system draped in dictatorship. “They aim to wipe out regional parties across states and destroy the country’s diverse political culture — and the process has already begun. This implies that, moving forward, elections will cease to exist, and a President will directly appoint their own cabinet. The country is rapidly heading towards this system of governance,” it noted.

“As the government maintains a calculated silence on pressing domestic crises — including severe inflation, exam paper leaks, rising unemployment, the crashing value of the rupee, and atrocities against women — the nation’s political landscape continues to be dominated by engineered political defections sold under the guise of development,” said the Thackeray camp.

Mumbai, June 15: The Mumbai Crime Branch suspects that notorious drug smuggler Salim Dola, considered a close associate of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and who built an extensive range of assets in Turkey and Dubai, is attempting to mislead investigators during interrogation.

Following the completion of questioning by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Dola, who was arrested in Turkey and brought to India, is now being interrogated by various units of the Mumbai Crime Branch in connection with multiple cases.

According to Crime Branch officials, Dola significantly expanded his alleged drug trafficking operations and network in Mumbai after the Covid-19 pandemic. Investigations have further revealed that he had been residing in Turkey under the alias ‘Ayhan Sheikh’ and was allegedly operating an extensive drug network from there.

Investigators have found that Dola amassed assets worth nearly Rs 100 crore in Dubai and Turkey through proceeds generated from drug trafficking activities. Agencies are now examining the extent of his overseas investments, properties, and financial dealings.

During interrogation, Dola reportedly shared important information about a large synthetic drug manufacturing unit operating in Sangli. According to sources, he informed investigators that nearly 20 consignments of MD (Mephedrone) were manufactured at the facility and supplied to different locations across the country.

The Crime Branch is currently verifying the information provided by Dola and investigating the entire supply chain, distribution network, and financial transactions linked to the alleged drug operation.

Officials said Dola also claimed that the money earned through drug trafficking was invested in properties and businesses in India as well as abroad. Investigating agencies are now trying to determine which assets and commercial ventures were allegedly funded using proceeds from the illegal trade.

During questioning, Dola further claimed that the drug network had links to Dawood Ibrahim and his syndicate. However, investigators have clarified that these claims are being treated as part of the ongoing investigation and are being independently verified. Authorities are examining the extent of the alleged involvement of underworld operatives and identifying individuals who may have assisted in running the network.

Several Crime Branch teams have questioned Dola regarding multiple cases, including investigations related to the Satara and Mysuru drug factory operations.

Meanwhile, Crime Branch Unit-3 is separately probing Dola’s alleged involvement in the kidnapping and extortion case of Andheri-based businessman Sajid Electricwala.

During interrogation, Dola also claimed that he had sold some of the properties he had purchased in Dubai. The Crime Branch is verifying these claims and gathering details regarding his alleged foreign assets, bank accounts, and investments.

Dola’s police custody is set to end on Monday, following which he will be produced before a court for further proceedings. Investigating agencies believe that his continued interrogation could lead to significant revelations about international drug trafficking networks, financial transactions, overseas assets, and possible underworld connections linked to the narcotics trade.

Mumbai, June 15: A meeting convened by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence ‘Matoshree’ over the weekend has triggered fresh speculation over possible defections within the party’s Lok Sabha ranks, after several MPs remained absent in person.

While party managers aggressively spun a narrative of a unified front, the physical absence of the majority of its Lok Sabha MPs has exposed deep structural vulnerabilities in the Thackeray camp

Of the party’s 9 Lok Sabha MPs, only 4 were physically present at the meeting held on Sunday. The remaining 5 participated via video conference or phone, a “hybrid” arrangement that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (Shinde Sena) immediately mocked.

“Uddhav Thackeray ran his government via Facebook Lives. Now his MPs are doing the same,” jeered Shinde Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre. “This shows their hold over the party.

The emergency meeting was called against the backdrop of whispering campaigns regarding “Operation Tiger” — a coordinated effort by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena leader to engineer a second major split in the Sena legacy.

For the MahaYuti alliance, poaching Thackeray’s lawmakers is an existential and constitutional imperative. Under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, a breakaway faction requires a two-thirds majority to bypass the anti-defection law and avoid disqualification. If Shinde woos just six MPs, he legally decimates Thackeray’s standing in Parliament, rendering the UBT faction a legislative rump and cementing his own claim as the absolute, legitimate successor to Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy.

It would also deliver a near-fatal psychological blow to the UBT group as the Supreme Court continues to deliberate on the validity of the original 2022 split.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut dismissed the defection rumours, threatening a retaliatory “Operation Wolf” to poach Shinde legislators, insiders admit that the hunter currently possesses far more bait than the prey.

Thackeray’s MPs are facing a triple bind of structural pressures. Being in opposition is an expensive affair, especially ahead of crucial municipal and state assembly elections. Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav raised eyebrows last month by candidly noting, “Economic calculations are important during polls… it is impossible to say what will happen next.”

Ground-level politicians are finding it structurally exhausting to match the deep-pocketed machinery of the ruling BJP-Shinde alliance. As a member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition alongside Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, the UBT faction faces territorial concessions. MPs fear that sacrificing local assembly segments or municipal wards to allies to maintain coalition unity will permanently erode their foundational vote banks.

Despite Uddhav Thackeray becoming significantly more accessible post-2022, a persistent grievance remains among rural and semi-urban MPs who feel the party’s inner circle is heavily dominated by Mumbai-centric leaders.

Sanjay Raut spent the post-meeting press conference painstakingly detailing the personal emergencies of the five absent lawmakers: a daughter’s wedding preparations for Yavatmal MP Sanjay Deshmukh, a hospitalised wife for Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchoure, and local MLC election duties for Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar. Yet, party insiders remain deeply anxious.

The leadership had reportedly instructed all MPs to remain in Mumbai through the weekend, expecting them to use Aaditya Thackeray’s birthday on Saturday as a public demonstration of undivided loyalty. The failure of five MPs to show up in person over those two days has been interpreted by many within Matoshree as passive defiance.

Compounding the anxiety are recent footprints of political signalling. In recent weeks, MP Ashtikar was spotted visiting Chief Minister Shinde’s official residence, Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje held a quiet meeting with the CM’s son, Shrikant Shinde, and Shirdi’s Wakchaure met with State Industries Minister Uday Samant.

Against this backdrop, Uddhav Thackeray’s immediate challenge is to transition from defensive damage control to active grievance redressing. The political observers remarked that if Matoshree cannot guarantee robust financial backing and absolute territorial protection for its regional satraps within the MVA framework, the “hybrid” presence in party meetings may soon solidify into permanent physical exits.

“Operation Tiger” is far from dead; it is simply waiting for the political temperature in Maharashtra to hit the boiling point.