As the six Lok Sabha MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) are allegedly on their way out to join Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena, the two other parties from the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday slammed the probable turncoats terming it as “Operation Bazaar” and labelled them as “traitors”.

“The actions of six MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) is not only a betrayal of Uddhav Thackeray and his party, but also a betrayal of the Congress and entire Maha Vikas Aghadi. The people voted them to victory against the Mahayuti. The people will teach such traitors a lesson,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal.

The Congress state chief further said that the six MPs who rebelled and are planning to leave the Sena (UBT) were candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. “In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) workers campaigned for these six people. They did not care about any threats, they did not fall for any bait and the people trusted them. This rebellion is an insult to all of them,” said Sapkal.

The other constituent of MVA, NCP(SP) said that the political developments look like, “getting married to one and then running away holding someone else’s hand”.

“This is an utterly nauseating political adultery, and it’s a sign that the march toward dictatorship has begun by breaking the Constitution and democracy. This should not be called ‘Operation Tiger’ but ‘Operation Bazaar’,” said NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar.

Pawar alleged that it was Shiv Sena, NCP, AAP, Trinamool Congress, and now Shiv Sena again. “If this continues in the country, one day the people themselves will take to the streets and won’t rest until they thrash those who run away and those who lure them away. Today, the shadow of drought looms over our heads, there’s no water for drinking or farming, produce fetches no price, unemployment is rising, government job recruitment has been scrapped, the middle class has no money to pay EMIs, and in such a situation, while the common man is in more trouble than ever, there’s no discussion on this—it is unfortunate,” he said.