Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut urged breakaway leaders who left the Congress must reunite to make party stronger. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday (June 13, 2026) said the Congress was not a sinking ship, and reiterated that the leaders who formed separate parties after quitting the grand old party in the past, must unite again to make it stronger.
Also read | Return to Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena if you regret your mistake, says Sanjay Raut to Shinde faction leaders
He appealed to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to take an initiative in this direction, saying everyone must come together to give a fight against the “perverted” politics of the BJP.
Mr. Raut’s remarks come a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dubbed the Congress as a sinking ship, and said a wise person would never board it.
Talking to reporters in Pune, Mr. Raut said, “If we truly want to fight against the perverted politics of the BJP, everyone must unite. The Congress party must become stronger. All the leaders who had left the Congress should first come together. If senior leader Sharad Pawar takes an initiative, it would be possible. We are a regional party and we will stand with you.”
“Even today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is afraid of the Congress. Congress was never a sinking ship,” the Sena (UBT) spokesperson added.
Hitting out at the BJP, Mr. Raut said, “Show even 1% of the work that the BJP has actually done. They were neither part of the freedom struggle, nor did they take part in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement. They were nowhere during these movements. These are cowardly people.”
When asked about the reports of discontent among Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs amid talks of ‘Operation Tiger’, he said, “Operation Tiger has been carried out by Union Home Minister Amit Shah a hundred times. Breaking political parties and their leaders demonstrates perversion of democracy. This perversion has reached its peak under the current BJP leadership. However, it will also end one day. There will be a revolt against this kind of perversion in both the state and the country,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
‘Operation Tiger’ refers to an alleged political strategy and series of maneuvers reportedly led by the ruling Shiv Sena aimed at poaching the leaders from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
Mr. Raut also accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of functioning like an agent of the BJP.
Published – June 13, 2026 03:39 pm IST
